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'     BY 

CHARLES  H.  bUNCAN,   M.D. 

DISCOVERER  AND  FOUNDER  OF  AUTOTHERAPY 

Former    Mechanical    Engineer    of    the    Illinois    Steel    Company. 
Co-Founder  of  the  Volunteer  Hospital.     Attending  Surgeon 
and  Genito-Urinary  Specialist  Volunteer  Hospital,  New 
York  City,  1905-1914.    Honorary  Member  Veteri- 
nary Medical  Association,  New  York  City. 


PUBLISHED  BY  DR.  CHARLES  H.  DUNCAN 

2612  BROADWAY,   NEW  YORK   CITY 


ll^  \ 


J9I8 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
CHARLES  H.  DUNCAN,  M.  D. 

All  rights  reserved,  including  the  translation  into  foreign 
languages,  including  the  Scandinavian 


This  book  is  dedicated  to 

MY  MOTHER 

that  rare  genius  of  the  sick-room  who  possessed  the  combined  qualities 
of  broad  sympathies,  keen  intuition,  and  uncommon  good  medical  sense. 
These  she  inherited  from  her  father.  Dr.  Charles  Henry  Webb  of 
Princeton,  Kentucky,  for  whom  the  author  was  named.  Her  excep- 
tional medical  endowments  were  cultivated  .to  full  fruition  by  her 
brother,  Dr.  James  Webb  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  and  by  my  father's 
twin  brother.  Dr.  George  W.  Duncan  of  Franklin,  Kentucky. 


PREFACE 

This  volume  has  been  prepared  at  the  request  of  many 
physicians  who  have  had  their  professional  interest  aroused 
by  reading  one  or  more  of  the  many  articles  on  the  subject  in 
Autotherapy  that  had  appeared  in  standard  medical  periodi- 
cals during  the  past  eight  years. 

Autotherapy  has  gained  wide  recognition  and  received  the 
unqualified  endorsements  not  only  of  many  well-known  physi- 
cians and  veterinarians  but  of  leading  medical,  and  veterinary 
medical  societies.  By  means  of  a  text-book  only  can  the  thou- 
sand and  one  questions  that  are  constantly  being  asked  by 
physicians  be  answered.  The  majority  of  these  will  be  an- 
swered in  the  contents  of  the  book,  but  it  is  essential  that  a 
satisfactory  answer  be  given  at  this  time  to  questions  that  are 
bound  to  occur  to  the  reader  when  his  attention  is  directed 
first  to  the  subject,  namely: 

(i)  How  long  has  Autotherapy  been  under  continuous 
study?  To  such  a  question  the  author's  reply  is — that  he  has 
been  continuously  occupied  in  this  pursuit  for  the  past  eight 
years. 

(2)  Has  Autotherapy  been  brought  before  the  attention  of 
the  profession  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  on  the  one  hand 
abundant  corroboration,  and  on  the  other  hand  such  searching 
criticism  as  a  new  idea  in  therapeutics  must  welcome  ? 

During  this  period  in  question  the  author  has  made  known 
his  experience  in  the  best-known  media,  including : 

The  Medical  Record,  Lancet-Clinic,  Proceedings  of  the 
Veterinary  American  Medical  Association,  Medical  Era,  New 


vi  PREFACE 

York  Medical  Journal,  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal, 
Medical  Sentinel,  American  Practitioner,  American  Journal 
of  Surgery,  Therapeutic  Record,  Medical  Times,  New  Eng- 
land Medical  Gazette,  Northwest  Medicine,  New  Albany  Medi- 
cal Journal,  American  Medicine,  Interstate  Medical  Journal, 
Medical  Council,  Medical  Standard,  Western  Medical  Times, 
Medical  World,  Southern  Medical  Journal,  International  Jour- 
nal of  Surgery,  Long  Island  Medical  Journal,  Texas  Medical 
Journal,  Buffalo  Medical  Journal,  etc.,  in  the  United  States. 
The  Paris  Medicate,  The  Practitioner  (London),  Practical 
Medicine  (Delhi),  Indian  Medical  Gazette  (Calcutta,  India), 
British   Veterinary  Journal,   and   other   foreign   journals. 

(3)  It  is  now  an  axiom  that  a  new  method  of  therapy,  or  a 
remedy,  must  be  tried  out  at  least  two  thousand  times  in 
order  sufficiently  to  eliminate  the  possibility  of  spontaneous 
cure ;  effects  of  suggestion ;  wrong  diagnosis,  etc.  If  this  is 
true,  is  the  author's  method  properly  grounded?  The  reply 
here  is  quickly  forthcoming: — As  one  of  the  two  founders  of 
the  Volunteer  Hospital  in  New  York  City;  President  of  the 
Medical  Board;  Operating  Surgeon;  Consulting  Surgeon  in 
the  Dispensary;  and  Genito-Urinary  specialist,  the  writer  has 
had  unlimited  opportunity  of  amassing  a  preponderance  of 
clinical  evidence  as  to  the  great  therapeutic  value  of  Auto- 
therapy in  various  infections,  almost  weekly,  during  the  years 
1910,  191 1,  1912,  1913,  and  1914.  Without  making  a  sys- 
tematic count  of  the  letters  received,  it  appears  there  are 
many  more  than  two  thousand  physicians  scattered  through- 
out the  world  who  are  using  Autotherapy  successfully,  daily, 
in  both  private  and  hospital  practice.  One  physician  in  Penn- 
sylvania has  employed  Autotherapy  in  over  six  hundred  cases, 
and  his  results  have  been  such  that  he  has  practically  discarded 
the  use  of  vaccines.  Many  have  used  it  from  three  to  five 
hundred  times.     Many  have  used  it  when  opportunity  pre- 


PREFACE  vii 

sented  from  one  to  eight  years.  All  who  have  used  it  con- 
scientiously and  intelligently,  are  enthusiastic  over  its  use.  It 
is  widely  employed  in  veterinary  medical  practice;  and  the 
Veterinary  Medical  Association  of  New  York  City  has  twice 
officially  endorsed  it  in  the  highest  terms.  It  is  not  uncommon 
to  find  a  battery  of  from  two  to  six  filters  in  active  use  in 
veterinary  hospitals.  The  veterinary  physicians  are  unanimous 
in  vouching  for  the  specificity  of  Autotherapy.  It  appears 
from  the  number  of  physicians  using  Autotherapy  success- 
fully, and  the  official  recognition  it  has  received,  and  from  the 
fact  that  the  range  of  its  application  extends  to  the  treatment 
of  animals,  that  this  mode  of  treatment  has  long  passed  the 
experimental  stage  and  has  come  to  the  physician's  hand  to 
stay. 

(4)  For  a  new  method  of  treatment  to  receive  prompt 
recognition  it  should  be  susceptible  of  the  widest  possible  gen- 
eralization. If  its  use  must  be  restricted  to  a  few  experts,  or 
a  few  localities,  it  cannot  pose  as  a  great  innovation  in  medi- 
cine. In  replying  to  this  the  author  will  state  that  Autotherapy 
is  eminently  suited  to  wholesale  application ;  it  may  be  used 
by  any  qualified  medical  man  in  any  locality. 

(5)  Is  the  method  scientifically  grounded  and  in  harmony 
with  the  laws  of  biology  as  they  are  understood  at  the  present 
time?  The  doctrine  of  Autotherapy  is  a  natural  outgrowth  of 
the  accepted  views  of  Pasteur,  Ehrlich,  Behring,  Wright,  and 
of  all  other  great  immunologists ;  it  comprises  nothing  that  is 
antagonistic  to  science  and  has  no  foundation  in  any  teachings 
of  the  isms  of  pre-scientific  days.  It  may  be  used  in  conjunc- 
tion with  other  plans  of  treatment  save  for  certain  exceptions 
to  be  enumerated  later. 

(6)  What  outside  corroboration  of  the  author's  claims  is 
there  at  present  aside  from  case  histories?  Since  in  all  inde- 
pendent discoveries  there  are  usually  one  or  more  discover- 


viii  PREFACE 

ers, — has  any  reputable  scientist  or  physician  independently 
come  upon  Autotherapy  ?  There  are  numerous  replies  possible 
to  this  query.  Several  well-known  clinicians  in  different  parts 
of  the  world  have  devised  systems  of  Autotherapy  at  a  period 
several  years  subsequent  to  the  author's  initial  studies  and 
reports,  which  show  a  remarkable  parallelism  with  the  author's 
teachings.  He  is  naturally  in  doubt  as  to  whether  these  men 
were  influenced  by  his  writings  directly  or  indirectly,  for  it  is 
impossible  to  beUeve  that  his  views  could  have  been  entirely 
unknown  to  them.  The  writer  makes  no  claim  to  priority  in 
regard  to  Autoserotherapy  and  Autodrainage,  in  connection 
with  the  treatment  of  serous  effusions,  and  these  are  only 
remotely  related  to  Autotherapy.  They  have  but  a  limited 
field  of  application  and  are  not  outgrowths  of  vaccinal 
therapy,  having  been  in  vogue  long  before  the  time  of  Wright. 
The  mechanism  of  cure  in  these  cases  is  not  yet  fully  under- 
stood. 

Not  the  least  support  of  the  author's  claims  is  found  in  the 
reinjection  of  sterile  pus  and  secretions  in  general  for  recent 
wounds  that  was  successfully  tried  out  in  France  for  gas 
gangrene  during  the  great  world  war,  and  in  India  for  general 
purulent  infections;  and  in  the  successful  use  of  Autotherapy 
by  missionaries  where  stem  necessity  demanded  its  continual 
use. 

(7)  The  technic  needs  further  elaboration — there  is  little  in 
medicine  but  that  does.  There  is  no  unanimity  now  regarding 
the  dose  of  vaccines  and  sera.  An  important  consideration  is 
embodied  in  the  words  of  the  committee  appointed  officially  to 
investigate  Autotherapy :  "  It  is  not  dangerous,  or  no  more 
dangerous  than  the  use  of  the  vaccines  and  sera  now  in  daily 
use  among  us." 

The  main  motives  that  have  actuated  the  author's  endeavors 
are:  (i)  The  desire  that  all  physicians  may  be  as  successful 


PREFACE  ix 

in  treating  their  patients  as  the  author  is  in  treating  his.  (2) 
The  desire  for  simplicity. 

The  author  has  been  wholly  altruistic  in  giving  Autotherapy 
to  physicians;  there  have  been  no  secret  formulas;  nor  is 
there  any  claim  for  superior  skill.  There  has  been  no  effort 
to  make  money  out  of  it  in  any  way.  He  has  answered  all 
inquiries  and  distributed  freely  reprints  of  his  articles  to 
physicians,  by  the  thousand. 

He  is  indebted  to  a  number  of  his  confreres  and  co-workers 
for  able  and  friendly  criticism,  time  consumed  and  interest 
manifested  in  the  development  of  Autotherapy.  These  with 
undimmed  interest  have  upheld  his  hands  and  stimulated  his 
enthusiasm  in  the  gradual  awakening  of  autotherapeutic  pos- 
sibilities; and  in  the  unfolding  of  new  lines  of  medical  thought, 
from  their  inception. 

For  these  and  other  courtesies  the  writer  wishes  to  express 
his  sincere  thanks  and  appreciation  to : 

Dr.  Henry  T.  Brooks,  former  pathologist  of  the  New  York 
Post-Graduate  Medical  College  and  Hospital,  Pathologist  St. 
Mark's  Hospital.  Dr.  George  F.  Laidlaw,  Professor  of  Diag- 
nosis and  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  New  York 
Homoeopathic  Medical  College  and  Flower  Hospital.  Dr. 
William  H.  DieflFenbach,  Professor  of  Electro-  and  Hydro- 
Therapeutics,  New  York  Medical  College  and  Hospital  for 
Women.  He  is  under  obligation  to  Dr.  Edward  Preble  for 
reviewing  and  editing  the  MSS. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGES 

I.   A  Brief  History  of  Autotherapy  ,       .        i  to      5 
II.   The  Basic  Principles  of  Autotherapy        6  to    28 

III.  The  Limitations  of  Autotherapy       .       29  to    40 

IV.  AUTOIMMUNIZATION 4I    tO      6o 

V.   Description    of    the    Duncan    Auto- 
therapeutic   Apparatus       .       .       .  6i  to    75 
VI.   The  Prevention  and  Cure  of  Purulent 

Infections 76  to  130 

VII.   Acute  Gonorrhea  in  the  Male     .       .  131  to  147 

VIII.   Gynecology  and  Obstetrics    .       .       .  148  to  174 

IX.   Autogalactotherapy         ....  175  to  194 

X.   Respiratory  Infections   ....  195  to  258 

XI.   Urine  as  an  Autotherapeutic  Remedy  259  to  275 

XII.    Blood  and  Blister  Serum  and  Other 

Non-purulent  Serous  Fluids     .       .  276  to  305 

XIII.  Autotherapy   in   Ivy   Poisoning,   An- 

thrax          306  to  314 

XIV.  Miscellaneous 314  to  330 

Syphilis 

Snake  Bite 

Typhoid  Fever 

Sleeping  Sickness 

Whooping  Cough 

Measles,  Scarlet  Fever  and  Diphtheria 

Eczema 

Erysipelas 

Riggs  Disease 


INTRODUCTION 

In  Dr.  Duncan,  the  man,  and  autotherapy,  the  system,  the 
old  dream  of  curing  disease  with  its  own  poison  reaches  its 
highest  modern  development;  for  this  idea  of  curing  disease 
with  its  own  poison  is  age-old,  so  old  that  we  cannot  point 
to  its  beginning  in  the  traditions  of  ancient  medicine.  The 
idea  is  found  among  many  primitive  and  savage  peoples.  In 
the  history  of  medicine,  it  appears,  vanishes  and  reappears, 
each  time  a  little  finer  and  better  developed  than  before.  As 
a  kind  of  practice  called  isopathy,  it  appeared  nearly  a  century 
ago  and,  in  our  time,  is  presented  anew  by  the  bacteriologist 
as  the  most  modern  development  of  scientific  medicine. 

In  the  last  century,  the  idea  appeared  with  Lux  and  the 
isopaths  about  1820.  Declaring  that  every  contagious  disease 
contained  in  its  discharge  the  remedy  for  its  cure,  Lux  prepared 
his  remedies  by  diluting  the  discharge  with  water  and  gave 
this  preparation  by  the  mouth  in  very  minute  doses.  In  those 
days,  the  bacterial  culture,  the  vaccine  and  hypodermic  medica- 
tion were  unknown. 

It  was  not  from  this  isopathic  source  that  Dr.  Duncan 
derived  his  autotherapy  but  rather  from  the  bacteriological 
school.  The  bacteriological  school  owes  nothing  to  isopathy, 
but  is  rooted  further  back  in  Jenner's  prevention  of  smallpox 
by  the  poison  of  a  similar  disease.  This  prevention  of  small- 
pox was  a  tantalizing  light  that  danced  before  the  eyes  of 
the  great  Pasteur,  with  its  vision  of  preventing  all  other  human 
and  animal  scourges  and  beckoned  him  on  and  on  to  the 
prevention  of  anthrax  and  of  rabies,  incidentally  founding  the 


Mi  INTRODUCTION 

great  science  of  bacteriology.  Pasteur  advances  a  step  by 
using  not  a  similar  disease  but  the  virus  of  the  same  disease, 
but  he  restricts  himself  to  prevention  of  disease ;  for,  true  to 
its  origin  in  vaccination,  the  effort  of  early  bacteriology  was 
the  prevention  of  disease  rather  than  its  cure.  Koch  with  his 
tuberculin  and  Behring  with  his  diphtheria  antitoxin  carry 
the  idea  of  prevention  forward  to  the  idea  of  cure.  Koch's 
last  tuberculin,  the  bacillus  emulsion,  the  closest  that  he  dared 
go  to  the  full,  unchanged  virus  of  tuberculosis,  marks  another 
step  forward,  and  the  preparation  of  emulsions  of  killed 
bacilli  was  developed  by  Wright  in  his  vaccine  therapy.  In 
my  opinion.  Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapy  is  the  logical  next  step 
after  Wright.  It  is  the  use  of  the  full,  unchanged  virus  of 
disease,  unaltered  by  heat  or  chemicals,  that  Koch  indicated 
as  the  true  remedy,  but  Koch  got  no  further  in  his  technique 
than  stock  emulsions  of  bacilli  killed  by  mechanical  grinding. 
Like  the  old  isopaths,  Koch  missed  the  autogenous  principle 
and  the  use  of  all  the  infecting  bacteria  in  mixed  infections. 
Wright  added  the  valuable  idea  of  autogenous  origin  of  the 
virus  and,  curiously  enough,  reached  the  same  conclusion  in 
one  respect  as  had  the  old  isopaths  that  these  remedies  must 
be  used  in  a  very  minute  dose  and  that  there  should  be  a  long 
interval  between  doses. 

By  this  time,  the  revival  of  the  ancient  idea  of  curing  dis- 
ease with  its  own  poison  was  in  full  swing  and  sweeping 
everything  before  it  under  the  new  name  of  immunology.  Give 
a  dog  a  bad  name  and  you  can  hang  him.  Conversely,  give  a 
dog  a  new  name  and  you  can  introduce  him  into  very  respecta- 
ble society.  The  old  jibes  against  the  isopath  were  forgotten. 
Everybody  was  doing  it.  Learned  professors  were  trying  to 
cure  cancer  and  all  sorts  of  incurable  diseases  by  small  doses 
of  their  own  or  their  neighbor's  poison.  From  this  point, 
Dr.  Duncan  started  developing  his  technique  of  autotherapy. 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

As  already  stated,  autotherapy  is  the  next  logical  step  after 
the  vaccine  of  Wright.  It  is  a  more  nearly  perfect  form  of 
the  autogenous  virus  on  which  Wright  insisted  and  it  employs 
the  full  virus  of  disease  which  Koch  named  as  his  goal  but 
did  not  succeed  in  preparing.  It  is  well  known  that  the  best 
vaccine  is  that  made  from  the  exact  strain  of  bacteria  that 
attack  the  patient.  Similar  bacteria  taken  from  another 
patient  may  be  useless.  Manufacturers  of  stock  vaccines 
attempt  to  meet  this  difficulty  by  preparing  the  polyvalent 
vaccine,  made  from  many  different  sources,  hoping  that  the 
However,  such  is  the  myriad  variety  of  bacteria  and  the  char- 
strain  of  bacteria  that  affect  the  patient  may  be  among  them, 
acteristics  of  the  strain  so  altered  by  the  tissue  or  media  in 
which  it  grows,  that  the  inclusion  in  the  stock  vaccine  of  the 
particular  strain  that  affects  the  patient  is  a  matter  of  chance 
and  often  a  long  chance. 

Autotherapy  is  an  advance  on  autogenous  vaccine  therapy 
because  there  are  four  difficulties  in  applying  autogenous  vac- 
cine therapy  that  Dr.  Duncan's  method  easily  solves.  These 
difficulties  are:  the  offending  bacteria  or  some  of  them  may 
fail  to  grow  on  the  culture  medium;  the  autogenous  vaccine 
must  be  treated  by  heat  and  chemicals,  both  of  which  weaken 
its  curative  power,  as  both  Koch  and  Denys  pointed  out;  the 
preparation  of  the  autogenous  vaccine  requires  the  help  of 
a  skilled  bacteriologist  and  a  laboratory;  finally  and  most 
important  in  pneumonia  and  acute  disease,  the  preparation  of 
an  autogenous  vaccine  requires  at  least  twenty-four  hours, 
and  in  practice  often  longer.  Moreover,  any  little  carelessness 
or  inattention  on  the  part  of  the  bacteriologist  or  his  helpers 
may  vitiate  the  product.  Thus,  from  the  time  that  the  bacteria 
are  taken  from  the  patient  until  they  are  returned  to  him  in 
the  form  of  an  autogenous  vaccine,  the  material  is  subject 
to  many  vicissitudes,  none  of  which  are  under  the  control  of 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

the  physician  himself.  On  the  other  haifd,  autotherapy  uses 
the  very  bacteria  and  all  of  them  that  affect  the  patient,  with 
all  their  poisons  intact,  endogenous  and  exogenous,  in  the 
same  proportion  in  which  they  are  present  in  the  patient; 
there  is  no  culture  of  bacteria  with  its  uncertainties  of  some 
growing  and  others  not ;  autotherapy  uses  them  fresh  without 
heating  or  chemical  preservatives;  the  technique  is  so  simple 
that  any  doctor,  learned  or  unlearned  in  bacteriological 
methods,  can  carry  it  out  anywhere,  in  city  or  country,  with 
the  simple  apparatus  of  a  filter  and  a  hypodermic  syringe; 
there  need  not  be  the  delay  of  sending  cultures  to  a  laboratory 
and  waiting  for  them  to  grow ;  and  every  step  of  the  process 
is  easily  under  the  eye  and  control  of  the  attending  physician. 

I  have  watched  Dr.  Duncan's  work  from  the  beginning, 
admired  his  tireless  energy,  his  patient  experiment  and  in- 
vestigation. He  has  met  the  common  lot  of  reformers,  cold 
neglect,  derision,  persecution,  perhaps,  and  met  them  cheer- 
fully, recognizing  frankly  that  this  was  a  phase  through 
which  all  new  work  must  pass,  boldly  confident  that  the 
honesty  of  his  work  must  sooner  or  later  win  the  indifferent 
and  the  skeptical.  His  mind  is  essentially  honest  and  sci- 
entific and  if,  at  times,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  discoverer  colors 
his  vision  and  if  his  boundless  hope  leads  to  occasional  error, 
which  of  us  can  say  that  we  ourselves,  standing  on  the 
threshold  of  a  great  discovery  in  therapeutics,  that  we  our- 
selves would  reason  coldly  and  resist  the  rush  of  enthusiasm 
that  alone  carries  us  upward  and  onward  in  our  work. 

Dr.  Duncan  is  a  natural  investigator  and  an  ingenious  ex- 
perimenter, which  means  that  he  is  naturally  gifted  for 
scientific  research.  If  any  reader  of  this  book  should  have  a 
friend  of  wealth  and  philanthropic  spirit  who  desires  to  benefit 
his  race  and  to  associate  his  name  with  the  advance  of  medical 
science,   I  would   suggest  to  him   that  the   founding  of 


1 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

institution  for  medical  research  with  a  man  of  Dr.  Duncan's 
energy  and  talent  at  the  head  of  it,  would  produce  results  of 
everlasting  benefit  to  the  art  of  medicine  and  the  fame  of  the 
founder. 

George  Frederick  Laidlaw. 

New  York, 
July  I,  1918. 


If  Medicine  "  Were  content  to  mark  and  work  on  the  foundation 
Nature  lays.  It  would  not  lack  supply  of  excellence." 

— Dante,   Gary's   Translation. 


CHAPTER     I 
A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY 

It  is  seldom  the  privilege  of  a  clinician  to  report  a  new 
therapy  or  method  of  healing,  and  it  is  especially  rare  that  a 
method  so  very  effective  should  have  been  developed  upon 
clinical  experience;  for  clinical  experience  has  ever  occupied 
the  minds  of  the  world's  great  thinkers  of  all  ages. 

The  roots  of  Autotherapy  extend  far  into  the  distant  past 
and  reach  deep  into  the  texture  of  our  very  being.  Within 
recent  years  the  medical  world  has  revived  the  old  medical 
axiom,  "  Disease  carries  with  it  its  own  cure,"  and  has  fixed 
attention  upon  stock  and  autogeneous  vaccines.  Alluring  as 
have  been  the  brilliant  cures  occasionally  obtained  with  these, 
it  is  well  known  that  the  plans  of  Nature  in  curing  the  sick, 
do  not  include  immunizing  the  patient  to  heterogeneous  toxins, 
nor  even  to  modified  partial  autogeneous  toxic  substances ;  but 
she  has  foreordained  that  the  patient  should  be  immunized  to 
his  own  unmodified  toxin-fnm.phr  or  toxins  ^pd  toxic  tissiie_ 
substances  elaborated  within  his  cTwn  HnHy  hy  \\\^  artinn  gJ:.1JT^ 
infectious  agents  upon  the  body  tissues. 

Autotherapy  proves  that  a  natural  cure  is  brought  about  by 
autoimmunisation ;  that  is,  by  immunizing  the  patient  to  his 


2  AUTOTHERAPY 

own  unmodified  toxin-complex.    This  is  the  fundamental  basic  ^, 
principle  upon  which  Autotherapy  rests. 

A  brief  history  of  one  of  the  first  cases  treated  autothera- 
peutically  and  the  conclusions  then  made,  may  not  be  out  of 
place  here.  The  reader  will  thus  be  able  to  follow,  step  by 
step,  the  sequence  of  events  that  ultimately  led  to  the  further 
development  of  the  principle  underlying  the  cures  made  by  its 
use  and  its  application  to  all  localized  infections. 

In  December,  1909,  there  was  brought  into  the  hospital 
under  my  surgical  service  a  patient  sufTering  with  a  compound 
fracture  of  both  bones  of  the  left  leg.  There  were  also  severe 
bruises  and  contusions  all  over  his  body,  caused  by  being  run 
over  by  an  automobile.  Infection  set  in  and  progressed  in  spite 
of  all  that  could  be  done.  When  it  became  apparent  that  he 
could  live  but  a  short  time,  the  writer,  as  a  last  resort,  decided 
to  see  what  effect  the  animal  method  of  placing  the  live  infect- 
ing microorganisms  from  the  wound  directly  into  the  patient's 
mouth  would  have  upon  the  course  of  the  infection.  Accord- 
ingly, a  few  drops^oi  puSl  *  taken  from  the  wound,  were  placed 
in  the  mouth  of  thepatienL  Within  two  days  the  purulent 
discharge  entirely  disappeared  leaving  healthy  granulations. 
The  appetite  improved,  the  temperature  fell  to  normal,  and 
he  became  cheerful  and  improved  in  every  way.  His  friends 
then  removed  him  from  the  hospital  and  he  was  lost  sight  of. 
This  case  set  the  writer  thinking  and  he  decided  to  make  fur- 
ther tests  upon  apparently  hopeless  cases  that  came  under 
his  surgical  service.  It  was  not  long  before  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  tests  upon  three  severe  cases  of  infection 
following  accidental  wounds.  These  were  treated  in  a  similar 
manner  and  in  each  instance  the  former  results  were  confirmed. 
Pus  by  the  mouth  acts  therapeutically  at  once,  and  Jhe_  results^ 

*  This  technic  has  been  much  improved  since  then  and  the  principle 
has  been  extended  to  include  all  localized  infections. 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY  3 

tend  to  be  perinanenf^  Here  was  the  first  medical  lact, 
anchored  and  demonstrated.  It  appealed  to  some,  however,  as 
being  particularly  disagreeable,  even  though  its  action  is  de- 
scribed by  physicians  employing  this  method  in  treating  them- 
selves to  be  "  like  magic." 

The  odium  was  intensified  perforce  by  those  who  preferred 
to  give  "  pretty  pink  pills."  However,  the  author  believed  that 
the  "  physician's  first  duty  is  to  cure  his  patient,"  and  rather 
than  see  them  die  when  there  were  means  at  hand  that  would 
save  them,  he  persisted  in  the  treatment. 

In  the  eflfort  to  make  a  more  elegant  autotherapeutic  prepa- 
ration a  dilution  of  pus  was  filtered  through  a  Berkefeld  filter 
and-iJie-efi&cacy  of  the  filtrate  tested  both  by  the  mouth  and 
hypociermatically.  This  also  was  found  to  be  effective  when 
given  in  the  manner  described.  Here  was  a  second  medical 
fact  or  stepping-stone  in  the  development  of  Autotherapy. 
With  this  beginning  it  was  not  long  before  new  and  startling 
medical  facts  quickly  developed,  until  the  record  of  each  day's 
work  resembled  in  some  respects  the  successive  editions  of  the 
daily  press.  Medical  truths,  everlasting  and  immutable,  were 
uncovered  daily.  It  then  dawned  upon  the  writer  that  all 
localizejL  infections  have  a  discharge  and,  that  the  filtrate  of 
this  contained  the  unmodified  toxins  from  all  microorganisms 
present  in  the  focus  of  infection.  I  asked  myself  the  question : 
'*  Since  this  treatment  is  so  effective  in  purulent  infections 
would  it  be  equally  efficacious  also  in  other  localized  infec- 
tions ?  "  Then  came  busy  days.  In  quick  succession  many 
infections  were  treated  successfully.  Acute  bronchitis  cured 
within  twenty- four  hours ;  pneumonia  in  the  early  stages  was 
checked  almost  instantly;  in  endometritis,  salpingitis,  mastoid- 
itis, otitis  media,  etc.,  the  curative  reaction  was  apparent  often 
within  a  few  hours,  and  it  tended  to  be  permanent.  As  one 
after  the  other  of  these  infections  was  conquered,  it  was  real- 


4  AUTOTHERAPY 

ized  that  a  great  secret  of  nature  had  been  discovered  and 
demonstrated  beyond  all  shadow  of  doubt. 

As  the  data  accumulated  the  writer  began  to  give  them  to  the 
profession.  What  concern  was  it  of  his  if  those  physicians 
who  had  at  first  opposed  Autotherapy  were  forced  to  reverse 
their  expressed  opinion  or  find  themselves  alone  in  opposition 
to  truth  ?  What  cared  he  if  surgeons  at  the  hospital,  through 
petty  jealousy,  used  their  positions  and  personal  influence  to 
obstruct  his  work;  he  persisted  in  his  tests  and  pubUcations. 
The  profession  at  large  was  attracted,  and  letters  of  congratu- 
lation and  encouragement  came  pouring  in  from  broad-minded 
physicians  all  over  the  world.  Words  of  appreciation  came 
from  a  Medical  Missionary  in  the  far-off  PhiHppine  Islands: 
"  I  am  saving  the  women  from  operations  following  gonor- 
rhea." Surgeons  in  India  enthusiastically  took  up  the  work 
and  published  in  the  Indian  Medical  Gazette  several  able 
articles  upon  the  subject  of  Autotherapy,  relating  prompt  cures 
in  otherwise  incurable  conditions.  From  the  Portland,  Oregon, 
General  Hospital,  came  the  words,  "  We  feel  that  our  pa- 
tients cannot  get  well  nowadays  unless  we  have  some  auto- 
therapy to  offer  them."  Scarcely  a  month  passed  but  that 
several  articles  referring  to  remarkable  cures  made  by  Auto- 
therapy, appeared  in  the  standard  medical  periodicals.  Papers 
on  the  subject  of  Autotherapy  were  read  in  Vienna,  Budapest, 
Marietta,  and  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Denver,  Chicago,  Portland 
(Oregon) ;  Omaha,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  etc. 
Veterinary  physicians  took  it  up  with  vigor  and  endorsed  it 
in  the  highest  terms.  After  a  most  rigid  official  investigation, 
the  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  New  York 
unanimously  endorsed  it.  The  odium  was  dispelled,  and  the 
opposing  forces  brushed  aside  by  sober  medical  opinion. 

But  in  many  hospitals  where  it  is  used  for  the  first  time  the 
conflict  begins  anew ;  progression  versus  "  pretty  pink  pills." 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY  5 

The  philosopher  is  aroused  from  his  dreams,  for  here  are 
new  facts  that  do  not  fit  his  systemic  order  of  things,  but 
rather  tangle  his  philosophy.  Those  who  on  general  prin- 
ciples oppose  anything  that  is  new,  found  here  an  opportunity 
privately  to  voice  their  sentiments.  It  was  only  occasionally 
that  one  became  so  bold  as  to  oppose  it  upon  the  floor  of  the 
County  Society. 

Now,  what  does  this  all  mean?  Why  this  odium,  this  en- 
thusiasm, this  philosophical  entanglement,  this  opposition  with- 
out investigation  ?  Even  to  a  superficial  observer  it  means  that 
Autotherapy  marks  an  era  in  medicine.  The  handwriting  is 
on  the  wall  that  has  for  each  an  almost  individual  meaning. 
Since  it  means  for  you  quicker  cures,  fewer  operations,  and 
the  use  of  a  less  number  of  drugs,  etc.,  let  us  remember  also 
that  it  means  for  humanity  a  blessing.  And  the  world  moves 
on.  Times  have  changed  and  the  profession  eventually  will 
adjust  itself  to  the  new  order  of  things. 


"We  move  from  the  complex  to  the  simple,  and  the  obvious  is  the 
last  thing  we  learn." 

^Dr.  Elbert  Hubbard  on  Autotherapy. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY 

Autotherapy  is  the  physician's  method  of  treating  the  patient  with 
unmodified  toxic  substances  elaborated  within  the  latter's  body,  by  the 
action  of  the  infectious  agent  on  his  body  tissues,  agfainst  which  the 
tissues  react  in  a  curative  manner. 

Autotherapy  is  a  new  system  of  therapeutics.  It  is  simple 
in  its  application ;  far  reaching  in  its  effect ;  and  the  principle 
upon  which  it  rests  so  sound  that  it  might  with  propriety  be 
called  "  The  Basic  Principle  of  Therapeutics." 

The  unmodified  toxic  substances  may  be  employed  in  the 
form  of  the  filtrate,  obtained  by  filtering  the  pathogenic  exu- 
date or  other  body  fluids  containing  the  toxic  substances 
elaborated  within  the  patient's  body  by  the  action  of  the  infect- 
ing agent  on  the  body  tissues,  through  a  Duncan  Autothera- 
peutic  Apparatus.  The  bacteria-free  filtrate  may  be  injected 
subcutaneously  in  all  acute  localized  infectious  diseases.  In 
acute  infections  in  no  way  connected  with  the  alimentary 
tract  or  the  respiratory  system,  the  crude  pathogenic  exudate, 
or  the  filtrate  may  be  given  by  the  mouth. 

A  natural  or  spontaneous  cure  of  an  infectious  disease  is 
due  to  the  entrance  into  the  blood  stream  of  the  unmodified 

6 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY  7 

toxic  substances  developed  within  the  focus  of  infection. 
When  this  occurs,  the  power  of  the  blood  serum  is  raised  and 
the  activity  of  the  leukocytes  stimulated,  with  the  resultant 
development  of  specific  antibodies.  Autotherapy,  or  auto- 
immunization,  is  based  on  Nature's  method  of  cure;  for  by 
Autotherapy  the  patient  is  immunized  with,  and  therefore  to, 
the  unmodified  toxic  substances  elaborated  within  his  body, 
by  the  action  of  the  infectious  agent  (symptom  producing 
agent)  on  his  body  tissues.  With  Autotherapy,  the  physician 
simply  immunizes  the  patient  with  the  same  unmodified  toxic 
substances  that  Nature  utilizes  when  a  spontaneous  cure  occurs. 
The  bacteria-free  filtrate  contains  all  of  the  unmodified  toxic 
substances  from  all  of  the  microorganisms,  both  causative  and 
complicating,  that  are  in  the  locus  of  infection;  in  the  same 
proportion  and  virulence  in  which  they  appear  in  the  patient's 
body,  and  when  this  unmodified  bacteria-free  filtrate  is  in- 
jected subcutaneously  into  (comparatively)  healthy  fixed  tis- 
sues, resistance  by  these  is  developed  to  all  of  the  toxins  and 
toxic  tissue  substances  (the  toxin  complex)  within  the  locus 
of  infection. 

The  studies  of  Buchner  *  that  were  extended  by  Bail,  who 
developed  the  doctrine  of  aggressins,  show  that  in  every  in- 
fected area  there  are  causative  microorganisms  and  their 
toxins;  and  that  there  are  also  toxic  tissue  substances  that 
correspond  to  each  bacterial  toxin,  as  enzymes,  ferments,  and 
toxic  results  of  chemical  changes  in  the  protoplasmic  molecule, 
etc.,  against  which  the  tissues  react  in  a  curative  manner. 
They  further  show  the  pathogenic  activity  of  the  bacterial 
toxin  is  intensified  when  in  the  presence  of  its  corresponding 
associated  toxic  tissue  substance ;  and  that  it  is  the  toxic  tissue 
substances  that  cause  wound  fever  in  clean  wounds.    In  other 

*  Hiss  and  Zinsser,  Text-book  of  Bacteriology.  Second  edition. 
Chapter  on  Aggressins  and  Anti-aggressins,  pp.  292  and  330. 


8  AUTOTHERAPY 

words,  healthy  tissues  react  against  toxic  tissue  substances,  as 
well  as  against  bacterial  toxin.  His  work  was  a  laboratory 
demonstration,  and  was  not  employed  for  therapeutic  pur- 
poses in  the  manner  suggested  by  the  writer. 

The  therapeutic  value  of  all  vaccines  is  lowered.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  culture  media  on  bacterial  growth,  development, 
biological,  and  morphological  characteristics  is  beginning  to 
be  pretty  well  understood  as  new  light  is  thrown  on  the  sub- 
ject by  many  investigators. 

In  France  it  has  long  been  taught  that  the  media  upon 
which  bacteria  grow,  modify  the  microorganisms,  both  in 
regard  to  their  biological  characteristics,  as  well  as  their  ap- 
pearance. Vincent  shows  that  it  is  possible  to  make  certain 
non-pathogenic  microorganisms  pathogenic,  by  simply  incubat- 
ing them  on  certain  culture  media ;  and  then  vice  versa,  he  may 
change  them  back  again  into  a  non-pathogenic  variety  by 
growing  them  again  on  the  media  upon  which  they  originally 
grew.  This  is  highly  important  from  a  therapeutic  point  of 
view,  as  showing  the  great  modification  and  transformation 
and  what  grave  dangers  may  be  developed  by  the  supposedly 
innocent  culture  media. 

Again,  one  investigator  has  shown  that  certain  bacteria 
may  be  made  fermentative  or  non-fermentative  at  will,  by 
simply  employing  certain  culture  media.  By  a  similar  process, 
another  shows  that  certain  bacteria  may  be  made  gas-producing 
or  non-gas-producing  at  will.  One  investigator  has  gone  so 
far  as  to  state  it  is  only  when  bacteria  are  grown  on  culture 
media  prescribed  by  the  text-books,  that  they  behave  in  the 
manner  the  text-books  describe. 

If  there  are  no  conditions  under  which  a  microorganism 
can  grow  outside  of  the  patient's  body  that  are  exactly  like 
those  in  his  body,  then  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  why 
they  should  not  be  so  grown,  if  the  best  therapeutic  effect  is 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY  9 

to  be  obtained.  There  are  no  accidental  or  altered  toxins  from 
the  culture  media  in  my  unmodified  toxin-complex,  nor  are 
the  morphological  or  biological  characteristics  of  the  infecting 
microorganisms  altered  or  changed  by  the  simple  process  of 
filtration.  For  these  reasons  the  autotherapeutic  remedy  in- 
dividualizes  the  patient  as  can  no  other  remedy. 

*  "  It  is  well  known  that  the  animal  organism  has  the  power 
of  developing  antibodies  to  any  foreign  albuminous  substances 
introduced  into  it,  which  neutralise,  or  destroy  the  foreign 
substance.  Furthermore,  these  antibodies  are  produced  in' 
excess  of  the  amount  required  to  neutralize  the  stimulus, 
so  that  the  blood  of  the  animal  so  treated  contains  anti- 
bodies, some  of  which  can  be  demonstrated  by  suitable 
methods. 

"  Now  bacteria  are  such  foreign  albuminous  substances, 
and  the  phenomena  of  recovery  and  acquired  immunity  are 
thus  explained;  and  it  appears  that  when  a  disease  does  not 
end  in  recovery  but  becomes  chronic,  the  mechanism  has 
broken  down " ;  but  if  the  soluble  albuminous  part  of  the 
bacteria  be  filtered  to  exclude  the  microorganisms  (to  prevent 
spread  of  infection)  and  the  filtrate  in  the  form  of  unmodi- 
fied toxic  substances  be  introduced  into  a  part  of  the  body 
which  has  not  been  exhausted,  new  antibodies  will  be  formed 
in  excess  of  those  required,  and  these  will  pass  into  the  blood 
stream  and  be  available  against  the  infection. 

The  antitoxins  of  both  diphtheria  and  tetanus  are  developed 
in  animals  in  response  to  the  injected  filtered  toxins  of  the  diph- 
theria and  tetanus  bacilli  respectively.  The  antitoxins  developed 
in  the  animal  in  response  to  these  filtered  toxins,  tend  to  com- 
bat or  antidote  any  further  injection  of  toxins  and  also  tend 
to  rout  the  corresponding  microorganism  when  it  is  injected 
into  the  animal.  Developing  active  immunity  in  the  animal  to 
*  Hiss  and  Zinsser. 


10  AUTOTHERAPY 

a  given  microorganism  by  injecting  the  filtered  toxins  of  that 
microorganism  in  the  healthy  fixed  tissues,  is  similar  to  the 
development  of  active  immunity  in  the  patient  to  his  own 
toxins  and  infecting  microorganisms  by  injecting  him  with  the 
unmodified  filtered  toxins  from  his  own  infecting  micro- 
organisms. By  this  process  we  autoimmunize  the  patient,  i.e., 
immunize  him  to  his  own  infecting  microorganisms.  Again 
when  a  patient  is  injected  into  comparatively  healthy  tissues 
with  the  unmodified  filtered  toxins  from  the  focus  of  infec- 
tion, leukocytes  are  attracted  to  the  point  of  injection  in  large 
numbers,  and  they  are  stimulated  by  the  development  of 
specific  antibodies  to  perform  a  very  definite  function,  namely 
to  destroy  that  microorganism  only  to  whose  toxins  they  re- 
spond,— the  microorganisms  from  which  the  patient  suffers. 
There  being  none  of  these  microorganisms  at  the  point  of 
injection,  the  specific  leukocytes  pass  on  into  the  circulation 
to  the  focus  of  infection  by  tropism,  where  they  tend  to 
combat  or  rout  out  that  microorganism  from  the  soil  of  its 
recent  adoption.  By  no  other  active  immunising  agent  can  that 
microorganism  be  attacked  so  successfully  as  by  the  anti- 
bodies aroused  in  the  patient's  body  in  response  to  the  unmodi- 
fied toxin-complex  of  that  particular  organism  or  by  the  auto- 
therapeutic  remedy. 

There  is  no  certainty  of  cure  with  any  heterogeneous  toxin 
or  set  of  toxins ;  clinical  experience  for  upwards  of  a  century 
clearly  proves  this.  Administering  the  stock  conglomerate 
vaccines  has  been  frequently  termed  shot-gun  therapy,  and 
empirical  prescribing  pure  and  simple,  and  is  considered  by 
many  wholly  unscientific. 

Sir  Almroth  E.  Wright  was  the  first  of  modern  biological 
investigators  to  grasp  albeit  imperfectly  the  idea  of  the  great 
therapeutic  value  of  the  autogenous  agents  and  gave  to  the 
medical  world  the  autogenous  vaccines;  but  he  lowered  the 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        ii 

therapeutic  value  of  the  unmodified  natural  toxins  which  he 
took  from  the  body  which  represent  the  exact  remedy  (the 
unmodified  toxin-complex  developed  in  the  patient's  body) 
through  the  elaborate  process  which  his  autogenous  vaccine 
undergoes  during  its  preparation.  It  .is  the  consensus  of 
medical  opinion  that  the  therapeutic  value  of  autogenous 
vaccines  is  superior  to  that  of  the  stock  vaccines,  yet  the 
therapeutic  effect  of  all  autogenous  vaccine  is  either  absent 
or  altered  by  every  step  in  the  process  through  which  it  passes 
in  the  laboratory  during  its  preparation,  for  the  following 
reasons : 

1.  Autogenous  vaccines  may  not  include  the  causative  micro- 

organisms through  error  in  technic. 

2.  By  the  action  of  heat. 

3.  By  the  action  of  chemical  preservatives. 

4.  By  expiration  of  time. 

5.  Through  changes  that  occur  by  being  grown  in  foreign 

culture  media. 

6.  By  being  grown  outside  of  the  body  tissues. 

7.  By  being  grown  under  entirely  different  conditions. 

8.  Wright's  autogenous  vaccine  does  not  include  the  unmodi- 

fied tissue  toxic  substances  that  correspond  either  to  the 
causative  microorganisms  or  the  complicating  micro- 
organisms. 

9.  Extraneous  matter  may  creep  in,  thus  rendering  his  vac- 

cines worthless. 

10.  The  autogenous  vaccine  of  Wright  may  not  contain  the 

complicating  microorganisms  of  which  there  are  many 
in  severe  infections. 

11.  If  there  is  an  attempt  made  to  include  the  complicating 

microorganism  in  the  vaccine  we  are  often  compelled  to 
make  growths  on  several  different  media,  or  make  sev- 


12  AUTOTHERAPY 

eral  different  vaccines  and  each  one  is  subject  to  errors 
above  enumerated. 

For  these  and  other  reasons  the  therapeutic  effect  of  a 
vaccine  made  according  to  Wright's  method,  is  altered  or 
lowered  as  compared  with  the  unmodified  parent  antogenous 
toxin-complex  or  the  autotherapeutic  remedy.  Again  there 
are  weighty  reasons  why  the  physicians  may  not  use  Wright's 
autogenous  vaccines: 

1.  The  patient  may  pass  the  crisis  and  die  before  the  vaccine 

is  prepared. 

2.  Not  every  patient  can  afford  to  have  his  vaccine  used  in 

his  behalf. 

3.  It  requires  an  extensive  laboratory  with  ovens,  thermo- 

stats, culture  media,  etc. 

4.  It  requires  a  skilled  bacteriologist,  one  on  whom  absolute 

dependence  can  be  placed ;  he  is  not  always  easy  to  find. 

5.  There  is  no  known  method  of  growing  some  pathogenic 

microorganisms  outside  of  the  human  body. 

6.  We  may  not  be  able  to  identify  all  of  the  microorganisms 

present. 

Wright's  autogenous  vaccine  is  a  near-autogenous,  time- 
consuming,  cumbersome  agent  of  altered  therapeutic  value 
and  often  a  poor  substitute  for  Nature's  remedy  (the  unmodi- 
fied toxin-complex),  the  autotherapeutic  remedy;  and  it  may 
not  be  available.  Vaccine  therapy  at  best  is  an  imperfect 
imitation  of  natural  therapy.  Autotherapy  is  the  culmination 
of  vaccine  therapy.  Autotherapy  is  induced,  natural  therapy. 
Wright's  vaccines  at  times  give  brilliant  results  and  they  often 
do  not.  It  is  not  advisable  to  attempt  to  prepare  such  a 
highly  complex,  complicated   remedy,   subject   to  error,   and 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        13 

at  times  not  obtainable,  when  the  remedy  Nature  offers  is  at 
hand  and  often  may  be  obtained.  The  autotherapeutic  remedy 
may  often  be  administered  as  early  as  the  stock  vaccines;  it 
usually  requires  not  more  than  one  or  two  hours  to  pre- 
pare it,  and  it  often  may  be  given  in  as  many  minutes.  If 
Wright's  vaccine  cures,  such  cure  is  due,  not  to  the  culture 
media,  chemical  preservatives,  and  heat,  etc.,  but  in  spite  of 
these.  The  Autotherapeutic  remedy  is  the  only  strictly  auto- 
genous therapeutic  agent  we  have  in  fighting  disease.  Wher- 
ever a  patient  suffering  with  an  infectious  disease  may  be  he 
has  his  natural  remedy  within  his  body,  and  it  often  can  be 
obtained. 

The  writer  was  the  first  to  perfect  the  principles  that  under- 
lie the  cures  made  by  Autotherapy,  and  by  so  doing,  has  placed 
it  upon  a  firm,  safe,  scientific  basis. 

When  a  sublethal  dose  of  any  foreign  protein  substance  is 
introduced  into  healthy  tissues,  the  latter  develop,  or  tend  to 
develop,  resistance  that  is  specific  or  exactly  antagonistic  to 
it.  If  the  protein  substances  are  the  unmodified  toxic  waste 
products  of  a  disease  from  which  the  patient  suffers,  the  tis- 
sues in  developing  specific  resistance  to  them  develop  specific 
resistance  to  his  disease.  No  other  toxic  substance  is  the 
exact  substance  that  causes  the  symptoms  from  which  the 
patient  suffers,  so  the  resistance  developed  by  the  reaction 
against  any  other  substance  will  not  be  the  exact  reaction  or 
resistance  to  the  disease  from  which  the  patient  suffers.  It 
cannot  be  the  ideal  curative  agent. 

Reaction  by  the  tissues  to  toxic  substances  tends  to  develop 
resistance  in  the  tissues  that  is  specific  or  opposite  to  the 
toxic  action  or  the  true  cure  for  its  action.  A  higher  degree 
of  resistance  to  a  toxic  substance  may  be  built  up  by  repeated 
inoculation  of  non-lethal  doses,  or  repeated  toxic  action.  For 
example — a  person  addicted  to  the  use  of  morphine  tends  to 


14  AUTOTHERAPY 

build  up  in  his  tissues  resistance  to  morphine  to  such  a  degree 
that  at  times  he  is  able  to  take,  with  little  or  no  manifest 
toxic  action  of  the  drug,  an  amount  of  morphine  sufficient  to 
kill  several  normal  individuals.  It  is  well  known  that  we  are 
not  able  to  demonstrate  antibodies  to  morphine,  and  in  fact 
we  know  very  little  regarding  the  resistance  that  is  estab- 
lished by  the  tissues  to  the  repeated  injection  of  any  alkaloidal 
substance.  But  that  the  tissues  do  develop  resistance  to  mor- 
phine, by  repeated  injections  of  non-fatal  doses,  is  indisputable. 
In  building  up  this  resistance  the  tissues  do  not  establish 
a  resistance  to  arsenic,  cocain,  etc. ;  on  the  contrary,  they  build 
up  resistance  directly  antagonistic  solely  to  or  against  mor- 
phine. When  a  sublethal  dose  of  any  poisonous  substance  is 
injected  into  comparatively  healthy  tissues,  these  tend  to  de- 
velop a  resistance  that  is  directly  antagonistic  to  the  toxic 
effect,  or  the  antidote  to  the  action  of  the  poison  in  question. 
Let  us  suppose  a  patient  is  suffering  with  a  localized  infectious 
disease,  i.e.,  from  toxic  substances  that  have  been  elaborated 
within  his  body  by  the  action  of  the  infecting  agent  upon  his 
body  tissues.  Let  us  assume  he  is  now  injected  into  fixed 
tissues  with  a  toxin,  developed  previously  in  agar,  or  in  a 
guinea-pig  or  turtle,  or  a  test-tube,  originally  from  some 
other  patient  or  source.  The  healthy  fixed  tissues  adjacent 
to  the  point  of  the  needle  will  then  tend  to  develop  resist- 
ance to  the  turtle,  guinea-pig,  or  test-tube  toxin,  or  vac- 
cine respectively  as  they  tend  to  develop  resistance  to  any 
toxic  substance  placed  in  them.  As  this  is  not  the  toxic 
substances  from  which  the  patient  suffers,  the  resistance  de- 
veloped to  these  may  not  be  that  curative  resistance  to  the 
unmodified  toxins  from  which  the  patient  suffers.  But  when 
the  patient  is  injected  in  comparatively  healthy  fixed  tissues 
remote  from  the  seat  of  infection,  with  his  own  unmodified 
toxin-complex  these  tissues  will  develop  or  tend  to  develop 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        15 

specific  resistance  to  the  toxic  substances  from  which  he  suf- 
fers. The  resistance  to  no  other  toxin,  or  set  of  toxins,  is  the 
exact  resistance  to  his  own  toxins,  for  no  other  toxins  can  be 
identical  with  his  own  unmodified  toxin-complex. 

The  unmodified  autogenous  toxin-complex  is  the  ideal  thera- 
peutic agent,  for  with  this  we  tend  to  combat  the  toxins 
from  all  the  microorganisms  from  which  the  patient  suffers. 
The  autotherapeutic  remedy  contains  the  toxins  from  the 
causative  and  complicating  microorganisms  in  the  same  pro- 
portion and  virulence  that  are  found  in  the  patient's  body. 
There  is  no  certainty  that  the  toxins  from  one  patient  will 
cure  any  other  patient,  and  there  is  less  certainty  that  a 
toxine  or  vaccine  developed  in  an  animal  or  test-tube  will  act 
therapeutically.  In  selecting  the  appropriate  curative  agent, 
the  individuality  of  the  patient  must  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion. If  a  foreign  toxin  does  not  act  therapeutically,  it  tends 
to  be  harmful,  and  expensive  to  the  patient's  vitality.  There 
is  no  toxin  that  individualizes  the  patient  as  does  the  unmodi- 
fied autogenous  toxin-complex,  or  the  autotherapeutic  remedy. 

General  Rule  for  Autotherapy : 

When  the  pathogenic  exudate  or  the  end  product  {or  a 
dilution  of  the  same)  of  any  localised,  loosely  localized,  and 
possibly  non-localized  infectious  disease  is  filtered  with  a 
Berkfeld  filter  and  the  filtrate  injected  hypodermically,  ot 
placed  in  healthy  tissues  remote  from  the  infected  area,  anti- 
bodies specifically  corresponding  to  all  of  the  microorganisms 
in  the  locus  of  infection  will  tend  to  be  developed. 

A  corollary  to  this  general  rule  that  is  often  convenient 
in  the  application  of  the  autotherapeutic  principle  is  as  follows : 

In  extra-alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary  diseases  if  the 
crude  pathogenic  exudates  or  end  products  are  placed  in  the 
mouth,  specific  resistance  to  all  of  the  infecting  microorganisms 
in  the  lo  us  of  infection  will  tend  to  be  developed.    The  live 


i6  AUTOTHERAPY 

pathogenic  causative  microorganisms  appear  to  be  especially 
prompt  and  curative  when  given  in  this  manner. 

Most  Infections  are  Mixed 

An  advanced  or  severe  infectious  disease  is  usually  a  mixed 
infection.  There  are  various  microorganisms  other  than  the 
principal  causative  one  present,  acting  as  complicating  factors. 
The  reaction  to  be  most  curative  must  be  against  all  of  the 
toxins  that  develop  symptoms ;  that  is,  the  toxins  of  the  causa- 
tive microorganisms  and  its  set  of  toxic  tissue  substances,  as 
well  as  against  the  action  of  the  complicating  bacterial  toxins 
and  their  respective  set  of  corresponding  toxic  tissue  substances. 
Complicating  microorganisms  which  are  often  present  are  the 
bacilli  of  influenza  and  pseudo-diphtheria,  the  micrococcus 
tetragenes,  the  bacillus  pyocyaneus,  the  staphylococcus  and 
streptococcus,  the  colon  bacillus,  unknown  microorganisms, 
and  any  one  or  more  of  these.  It  is  the  unmodified  bac- 
terial toxins,  and  the  associated  toxic  tissue  substances 
and  not  alone  the  body  of  the  bacteria  per  se,  that  cause  a 
curative  reaction  in  the  tissues.  When  the  unmodified  bacteria- 
free  toxin-complex  is  injected  hypodermatically  the  same  thing 
occurs  as  when  Nature  cures,  namely,  the  bactericidal  power 
of  the  blood  serum  is  raised,  activity  of  the  leukocytes  is 
stimulated  by  the  action  of  the  specific  antibodies  to  overcome 
or  combat  all  of  the  microorganisms  in  the  locus  of  infection 
from  which  the  patient  suflrers.  As  more  antibodies  are 
developed  when  the  toxins  are  placed  in  subcutaneous  fixed 
tissues,  than  when  they  are  injected  into  the  blood  stream, 
and  as  by  autoimmunizing  the  patient  early,  the  physician  may 
often  steal  a  march  on  the  slow  natural  method  of  auto- 
immunization;  Autotherapy  has  distinct  advantages  over  even 
the  natural  or  spontaneous  method  of  cure. 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        17 

The  unmodified  toxin-complex  is  therefore  the  ideal  thera- 
peutic agent  for  treating  a  patient  suffering  with  any  localized 
and  possibly  non-localized  infectious  disease.  Furthermore 
my  unmodified  toxin-complex  therapy  has  distinct  advantages 
over  any  form  of  vaccine  therapy,  for  the  reason  that  the 
unmodified  toxins  are  the  parent  toxins  or  set  of  toxins  that 
are  in  the  patient's  body,  the  therapeutic  value  of  which  is 
unchanged  or  unaltered  by  the  mechanical  process  of  filtration. 
It  must  be  admitted  that  we  are  not  always  able  to  identify 
and  it  is  impossible  to  duplicate  exactly  the  complicating  micro- 
organisms within  the  locus  of  infection  by  employing  the 
vaccines  now  in  use ;  but  it  makes  little  difference  as  far  as  the 
autotherapeutic  remedy  is  concerned  what  they  are,  for  all  of 
the  exact  toxins  from  both  the  causative  and  complicating 
microorganisms,  and  all  of  the  corresponding  toxic  tissue 
substances  of  each,  in  the  same  proportion  and  virulence  in 
which  they  appear  in  the  locus  of  infection  are  in  the  filtrate 
ready  for  use  at  the  bedside.  This  is  one  of  the  vital  points 
of  superiority  of  Autotherapy  over  any  of  the  vaccines.  With 
Autotherapy  we  have  none  of  the  enumerated  objections  that 
vaccines  offer.  The  autotherapeutic  remedy  offers  practically 
the  same  convenience  of  stock  vaccines,  and  the  therapeutic 
effect  is  far  greater  than  that  of  even  the  so-called  autogenous 
vaccines. 

In  order  that  the  principles  underlying  the  cures  made  by 
Autotherapy  may  be  better  understood,  it  is  necessary  that  we 
incorporate  in  this  first  chapter  the  results  of  tests,  that  in 
logical  order,  would  come  later ;  hence  in  referring  to  appen- 
dicitis in  this  first  chapter,  it  is  intended  here  only  as  a  brief 
reference  to  demonstrate  results  that  throw  a  flood  of  light  on 
the  basic  principles  of  Autotherapy. 

In  November,  191 1,  the  writer  was  called  to  see  a  patient 
suffering  with  acute  appendicitis.     For  some  time  previously 


i8  AUTOTHERAPY 

the  patient  had  been  suffering  from  a  catarrhal  condition  of 
the  respiratory  tract,  which  appeared  to  be  aggravated  at  this 
time.  Autotherapy  of  bronchitis,  pneumonia  and  other  respira- 
tory infections  having  previously  been  so  successful  in  the 
hands  of  the  writer,  he  decided  to  make  a  test  in  this  case  to 
learn  whether  the  treatment  of  bronchitis  with  the  filtrate 
of  sputum  would  have  any  effect  on  the  infection  of  the  ap- 
pendix. He  knew  one  of  the  most  certain  things  in  medicine 
is  the  ability  of  Autotherapy  to  stop  a  non-tubercular  cough 
quickly,  and  as  the  cough  was  a  most  troublesome  symptom, 
its  relief  would  cause  the  patient  to  have  a  better  chance  of 
resisting  the  infection  in  the  appendix.  Accordingly  he  gave 
the  patient  an  injection  of  the  filtrate  of  sputum.  The  appen- 
dicular pain  ceased  in  eight  hours.  It  began  to  be  clear  at  this 
time  that  the  filtrate  of  sputum  had  possibly  a  wide  range  of 
usefulness  and  it  w^as  on  account  of  this  and  similar  tests  that 
the  writer  was  led  to  treat  other  abdominal  infections  in  a 
similar  manner.  He  made  many  tests  and  published  his  re- 
sults in  the  medical  press;  in  these  reports  he  stated  that 
"  There  is  often  an  atrium  of  infection  in  the  respiratory  tract 
from  which  the  causative  microorganisms  in  abdominal  infec- 
tions may  frequently  be  obtained,"  and  he  reported  cases  that 
had  been  cured  by  this  elementary  simple  autotherapeutic 
treatment.  Since  then  he  has  treated  successfully  a  number 
of  cases  of  acute  *  appendicitis  by  injecting  hypodermatically 
at  intervals,  the  filtrate  of  sputum.  The  amelioration  of  all 
symptoms  was  so  prompt  and  unprecedented  as  to  cause  many 
physicians  to  be  skeptical  or  incredulous ;  even  the  editor  of 
a  prominent  medical  journal  earnestly  besought  the  writer  to 
"have  a  heart"  and  not  ask  him  to  publish  what  he  (the 
editor)  frankly  admitted  he  did  not  believe,  because  the  repu- 
tation of  his  journal  might  suffer  thereby;  for  as  yet  there 

*  See  Appendicitis  in  index. 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        19 

had  been  no  scientific  explanation  as  to  how  it  was  possible 
for  such  profound  and  deep-seated  infections  to  be  cured  so 
promptly  and  by  such  simple  treatment.  (The  true  meaning 
the  writer  desires  to  convey  in  using  the  word  "  cure  "  in 
reporting  his  cases  is  that  the  process  of  destruction  is  checked, 
and  the  process  of  repair  instituted  in  its  place). 

The  possibility,  and  even  the  probability,  of  this  treatment 
having  a  sound  scientific  basis  caused  many  to  assume  a 
"  watchful  waiting  "  attitude  and  to  hold  their  judgment  in 
abeyance ;  for  it  has  long  been  held  by  advanced  scholars  that 
the  respiratory  tract  is  often  the  site  of  entrance  into  the  body 
and  the  nidus  of  many  pathogenic  microorganisms.  If  the 
causative  bacteria  can  be  obtained  from  the  mucoglandular 
excretions  of  the  respiratory  tract,  there  is  no  logical  reason 
why  we  should  not  expect  a  speedy  curative  reaction  to  set 
in  when  a  filtrate  of  sputum  is  injected  hypodermatically. 
This  has  been  done  continuously  and  successfully,  as  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself  from  time  to  time,  in  the  writer's  hos- 
pital and  private  practice,  as  well  as  in  that  of  other  physi- 
cians. After  some  years  of  doubt,  indifference  and  suspicion 
on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  a  splendid  series  of  suc- 
cesses that  are  otherwise  inexplicable,  this  method  of  treat- 
ing acute  appendicitis,  cholecystitis,  etc.,  receives  no  little  sup- 
port from  the  original  researches  of  Dr.  Edward  C.  Rosenow.* 
The  writer  would  urge  that  these  articles  be  read  in  connec- 
tion with  Autotherapy  in  these  conditions.  Had  Dr.  Rosenow 
begun  his  researches  with  the  object  in  view  of  proving  many 
postulates  of  Autotherapy  and  of  verifying  the  cures  previously 

*  I.  Edward  C.  Rosenow:  Elective  Localization  of  Streptococci. 
Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  November  13,  1915. 
2.  Edward  C.  Rosenow :  An  Epidemic  of  Appendicitis,  and  Parotitis 
Probably  Due  to  Streptococci  Contained  in  Dairy  Products.  The 
Journal  of  Infectious  Diseases,  April,  1916. 


ao  AUTOTHERAPY 

made  by  the  writer,  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  him  to 
have  proceeded  otherwise.  One  of  Dr.  Rosenow's  cases  is 
of  particular  interest  from  an  autotherapeutic  point  of  view. 

"  M.,  a  cadet  who  previously  developed  symptoms  of  acute 
appendicitis  on  February  21  was  operated  on  the  following  day 
and  the  acutely  inflamed  and  edematous  appendix  removed. 
The  lumen  of  this  appendix  was  found  to  be  very  narrow  and 
filled  with  bloody  pus.  There  was  no  fecal  concretion  or  other 
foreign  body,  and  there  were  no  constricting  bands.  The 
peritoneal  coat  was  edematous  and  opaque  and  over  the  por- 
tion near  the  distal  end  was  a  thin  fibrinous  exudate.  The 
mucous  membrane  was  edematous  and  hemorrhagic  through- 
out the  larger  portion,  this  condition  extending  well  into  the 
submucosa  and  the  peritoneal  coat.  Sections  showed  an  enor- 
mous number  of  streptococci  within  the  lumen  and  within  the 
infiltrated  membrane.  Scattered  diplococci  were  found  also  in 
the  adjacent  lymph  follicles  and  in  the  peritoneal  coat.  In 
the  lumen  there  were  also  a  few  gram-negative  bacilli.  Cul- 
tures from  a  swab  of  the  tonsils  sent  me  by  Dr.  Reed  ten  days 
after  the  operation  showed  a  preponderating  number  of  green- 
producing  streptococci,  a  few  colonies  of  hemolyzing  strep- 
tococci, and  a  large  number  of  colonies  of  micrococcus  catar- 
rhalis.  The  broth  culture  revealed  a  p.ure  growth  of  a  short- 
chained  streptococcus.  Two  rabbits  were  injected  with  the 
latter  culture,  one  of  which  showed  hyperemia  and  hemorrhage 
in  the  mucous  membrane  and  peritoneal  coat  of  the  appendix. 
It  also  showed  a  few  hemorrhages  in  the  tricuspid  valve.  Cul- 
tures from  blood  on  bloodagar  plates  disclosed  pure  growths 
of  green-producing  streptococci.  The  emulsion  of  one  of  the 
areas  of  hemorrhage  in  the  peritoneal  coat  of  the  appendix 
showed  many  green  colonies  of  streptococci.  On  June  4,  cul- 
tures from  the  tonsils  were  again  made.  The  tonsils  were 
larger  than  normal  but  not  badly  infected.  The  culture  in 
ascites-dextrin  broth  was  injected  into  one  rabbit ;  it  developed 
a  number  of  small  hemorrhages  in  the  appendix  with  hyper- 
emia and  edema,  as  well  as  a  marked  hemorrhagic  edema  of 
the  parotid  and  associated  lymph  glands." 

"  There  were  also  a  number  of  hemorrhages  in  the  muscles. 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        21 

particularly  in  the  adductor  muscles  of  the  thigh.  The  localiza- 
tion in  the  parotid  is  of  interest  especially  since  this  individual 
was  the  janitor  in  the  hospital  in  which  the  patients  with 
parotitis  were  treated  and  hence  may  be  considered  a  possible 
carrier." 

The  last  sentence  is  full  of  meaning  from  an  autothera- 
peutic  point  of  view.  It  is  probable  that  all  operative  ap- 
pendicitis cases  are  carriers  for  a  greater  or  less  period  jpi 
time  (mark  this)  after  the  appendix  has  been  removed.  There 
is  a  probability  almost  amounting  to  a  certainty  that  this 
patient  could  have  been  cured  quickly  by  means  of  Auto- 
therapy without  an  operation,  if  other  apparently  similar  cases 
in  which  the  pain  ceased  within  from  ten  to  twenty-four  hours, 
while  the  temperature  became  normal  in  twenty-four  hours 
with  no  recurrence  for  from  one  to  three  years,  are  any 
criterion.     (See  case  reports  on  Appendicitis.) 

Autotherapy  in  appendicitis  is  no  longer  an  experiment,  for 
it  has  been  employed  successfully  for  the  past  seven  years  in 
daily  practice  and  has  received  the  unqualified  endorsement  of 
many  leading  physicians  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  By  many  it 
is  claimed  to  be,  not  only  a  successful  method,  but  the  only 
method  of  treatment  that  will  cure  many  profoundly  septic 
respiratory  and  abdominal  infections. 

Dr.  Rosenow  demonstrated  by  experiment  on  animals,  that 
isolated  streptococcus  culture  from  appendicular  lesions  pro- 
duce appendicitis  in  sixty-eight  per  cent,  of  animals  injected 
intravenously.  After  the  first  to  the  sixth  passage,  forty-five 
per  cent,  of  the  animals  developed  appendicitis.  When  a  strain 
is  cultured  for  a  week  or  more  its  elective  affinity  or  tropism  is 
markedly  altered ;  only  fifteen  per  cent,  of  the  animals  in- 
jected develop  lesions  of  the  appendix.     (See  Table.) 

Rosenow  also  shows  that  a  certain  percentage  of  animals 
injected  with  culture  made  froin  tonsils  of  individuals  that 


22  AUTOTHERAPY 

had  appendicitis  developed  lesions  in  the  appendix.  He 
states  that  "  filtrates  of  streptococcal  culture  from  various 
diseases  were  injected  intravenously,  in  some  instances  pro- 
ducing lesions  in  the  organ  from  which  the  strains  were 
isolated ;  the  lesions,  however,  were  not  due  to  the  living  micro- 
organisms because  the  broth  which  was  inoculated  and  in- 
cubated with  the  tissues  failed  to  produce  any  lesions.  The 
results,  while  inconclusive,  may  be  said  to  indicate  that  strep- 
tococci produce  substances  which  cause  injury  specifically  in 
the  tissues  from  which  the  strains  were  isolated." 

Dr.  Rosenow  has  thus  demonstrated  by  experiment  on  ani- 
mals why  it  is  possible  to  cure  patients  suffering  with  appendi- 
citis, cholecystitis,  etc.,  by  the  writer's  method  of  injecting  the 
filtrate  of  mucus  from  the  respiratory  tract. 

If  any  greater  proof  were  required  to  show  that  the  unmodi- 
fied toxins  of  the  causative  microorganisms  in  these  abdominal 
infections  are  often  found  in  the  sputum  and  that  the  in- 
jected filtrate  acts  therapeutically  at  once,  it  is  supplied  by 
Dr.  Rosenow's  further  tests  and  observations. 

"  Since  different  bacteria  may  acquire  simultaneously  affinity 
for  the  same  tissue,  diseases  which  resemble  each  other  more 
or  less  closely,  such  as  the  different  forms  of  arthritis,  may  be 
due  to  bacteria  of  different  species  each  having  elective  affinity 
for  the  particular  structure  involved. 

"  The  results  detailed  in  this  and  previous  papers  seem  to 
bring  the  necessary  experimental  proof  that  chronic  foci  of 
infection  play  a  most  important  role  in  causing  systemic  dis- 
ease, a  fact  which  has  been  observed  and  frequently  com- 
mented on  by  different  observers." 

The  writer  has  not  attempted  to  review  Dr.  Rosenow's 
articles  completely,  as  time  and  space  forbid,  but  it  will  repay 
any  one  interested  in  Autotherapy  to  study  them  carefully,  for 
the  great  curative  effect  of  Autotherapy  in  many  abdominal 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        23 

infections  is  proved  by  him  beyond  any  shadow  of  doubt. 
The  object  here  is  principally  to  focus  attention  on  a  few  facts, 
developed  by  Dr.  Rosenow's  researches  along  autotherapeutic 
lines,  that  throw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  writer's  method  of 
treating  appendicitis,  cholecystitis,  peritonitis,  etc.,  and  lay  at 
rest  forever  the  criticism  of  Autotherapy  that  these  cures 
could  not  be  made  because  there  was  no  precedent  for  them. 

Percentage  of  animals 
^  showing  lesions 

Source  of  Streptococcus  a^"«c     <       "a     •«     -a 

"3  8     .1  u     o.     gf,    ^  3  --^    -S^     c 

Appendicitis 

When   isolated    14  68  68  6  i  i  21  o 

Later    8  26  15  19  15  4  19  o 

After  animal  passage  7  22  45  45  30  40  20  o 

Ulcer  of  stomach  in  man 

When   isolated    18  103  2  60  60  20  12  o 

Later    8  22  5  5  o  5  14  o 

After  animal  passage  7  39  o  23  33  30  5  o 

Cholecystitis 

Isolated   12  41  o  29  15  80  10  2 

Later    5  14  14  28  14  7  14  o 

After  animal  passage  4  16  o  31  13  56  19  o 

Endocarditis 

When   isolated    8  44  o  7  o  5  84  2 

Erythema 

When   isolated    6  20  o  10  o  o  20  go 

Later    3  9  o  22  o  11  11  22 

After  animal  passage  6  14  o  21  o  50  14  43 

"  Lab  "  strains 

Before  and  after  animal  passage....  S  100  2  18  5  2  49  2 

Abbreviated  table  from  Rosenow.*  i.  The  word  "  isolated "  in  the 
table  indicates  from  one  to  six  cultures,  or  one  passage  through  an 
animal  and  the  first  culture  thereafter.  "  Later "  indicates  that  the 
strains  were  cultured  for  a  week  or  longer.  "  After  animal  passage  " 
indicates  usually  from  the  first  to  the  sixth  animal  passage. 

*  Reference  to  Rosenow — See  (i)  p.  19. 


24  AUTOTHERAPY 

Since  the  culture  media  so  markedly  affects  the  elective 
affinity  or  tropism  of  infecting  microorganisms,  it  is  altogether 
probable  that  had  Rosenow  injected  the  animals  with  the 
microorganisms  directly  from  the  appendix  without  cultivation, 
the  percentage  of  appendicitides  developed  in  the  animals 
would  have  been  even  higher,  or  nearer  loo  per  cent. 

In  Autotherapy  there  is  no  cultivation  on  artificial  media  of 
the  infective  microorganisms,  for  by  so  doing  they  lose  their 
characteristic  elective  affinity  or  tropism  for  the  tissues  on 
which  they  grew.  In  Autotherapy  the  physician  employs  the 
unmodified  toxic  substances  elaborated  within  the  patient's 
body  by  the  action  of  the  infectious  agent  on  the  body  tissues, 
against  which  the  tissues  react  in  a  curative  manner.  Dr. 
Rosenow  states  in  a  subsequent  paper :  "  Since  the  streptococci 
lose  their  characteristic  affinity  after  cultivation  on  artificial 
media,  after  animal  passage,  and  apparently  in  the  focus  of 
infection  after  recovery,  the  conclusion  seems  warranted  that 
the  atrium  of  infection  is  not  only  the  place  of  entrance,  but 
the  place  where  the  streptococci  by  growth  in  symbiosis  with 
other  bacteria  and  under  varying  grades  of  oxygen-pressure, 
may  acquire  the  peculiar  properties  necessary  to  infect  in  this 
particular  manner."' 

In  an  article  entitled  "  Autoimmunization  in  Respiratory 
Infection,"  that  appeared  in  the  Medical  Record,  September 
5,  1914,  the  writer  reported  two  cases  of  appendicitis,  and  two 
of  cholecystitis  cured  by  injecting  hypodermatically  the  filtrate 
of  sputum.  There  he  also  stated:  "If  the  physician  treats 
catarrhal  conditions  of  the  respiratory  tract  autotherapeuti- 
cally,  he  will  often  be  surprised  to  discover  that  he  has  cured 
many  conditions  supposed  to  be  foreign  to  the  lungs."  This 
holds  true  in  a  wide  range  of  diseases. 

In  the  light  of  Dr.  Rosenow's  experiments  the  truth  of  the 
above  assertion  is  obvious.    It  would  appear  that  the  injected 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        25 

filtrate  of  sputum  of  a  patient  suffering  with  appendicitis 
from  the  unaltered  characteristic  elective  affinity  of  the  toxic 
substances  it  contains,  acts  in  a  therapeutic  manner  directly 
on  the  appendix ;  hence  the  cures  the  writer  reported  are  sub- 
stantiated in  a  manner  that  removes  all  doubt.  As  rational 
reasonable  human  beings  we  must  accept  the  autotherapeutic 
cures  of  appendicitis,  cholecystitis,  peritonitis,  etc.,  for  they 
have  all  the  force  of  an  experiment.  It  is  comparatively  easy 
also  to  accept  the  statement  that  we  are  able  to  forestall 
many  mastoid  and  sinus  operations  by  injecting  the  filtrate  of 
sputum,  and  likewise  many  major  operations  on  the  female 
pelvis  by  injecting  the  filtrate  of  the  discharge  from  the  cervix ; 
for  in  these  conditions  we  know  the  unmodified  causative 
microorganisms  are  in  the  discharge  and  the  immunizing  toxins 
in  the  filtrate. 

There  are  other  tests  by  Rosenow  that  are  instructive  in 
studying  Autotherapy,  for  the  reason  that  they  throw  a  flood 
of  light  on  much  that  was  heretofore  obscure  relative  to  the 
promptness  of  the  cures.  In  reviewing  his  actual  tests  on 
animals,  the  reader  should  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  the  dis- 
covery of  the  autotherapeutic  principle  of  cure  preceded  the 
investigation  of  Rosenow  by  several  years.  These  tests  serve 
to  confirm  the  writer's  autotherapeutic  cures.  There  is  much, 
however,  in  Autotherapy  that  has  yet  to  be  explained.  It  is 
difficult  to  understand  by  what  course  of  reasoning  any  one 
finds  it  necessary  to  grow  infecting  microorganisms  on  culture 
media  in  order  to  obtain  the  best  therapeutic  effect,  when  they 
may  be  obtained  with  their  tropisms  or  elective  affinity  un- 
altered directly  from  the  pathogenic  exudate  from  the  patient, 
Rosenow  states  further  "  Microorganisms  have  tropism  or 
elective  affinity  for  the  tissue  upon  which  they  grow."  Again 
his  conclusions  point  to  the  fact  that  the  culture  media  alters 
their  tropism,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  cultures  made. 


26  AUTOTHERAPY 

Thus  we  see  by  the  table  (p.  23)  the  following  infections  in 
man  of  appendicitis,  ulcer  of  the  stomach,  cholecystitis,  and 
erythema  nodosum,  where  from  one  to  six  cultures  are  made, 
from  sixty  to  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  animals  injected  develop 
infections  that  correspond  respectively  to  the  tissues  upon 
which  the  microorganisms  were  originally  grown.  When  a 
strain  is  cultivated  for  a  week  or  longer  the  number  of 
animals  contracting  the  disease  that  correspond  respectively 
to  the  tissues  on  which  the  microorganisms  grew,  falls  to 
fifteen  to  twenty-two  per  cent.  If  we  accept  these  findings 
of  Rosenow's,  and  there  appears  to  be  no  reason  to  doubt 
them,  we  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  microorganisms 
\  should  not  be  grown  outside  of  the  patient's  body  if  the  best 
therapeutic  results  are  to  be  obtained.  There  is  no  therapeutic 
reason  why  they  should  be  so  grown. 

The  writer  would  emphasize  that  the  speed,  certainty,  and 
comparative  freedom  from  danger  with  which  nearly  all  acute 
infections  may  be  cured  by  Autotherapy,  make  it  imperative 
on  the  part  of  the  physician  to  treat  the  patient  (and  not  the 
disease)  autotherapeutically  according  to  his  needs,  if  he  would 
cure  him  in  the  quickest  and  best  manner  possible  and  prevent 
or  forestall  the  sequel  in  the  shape  of  a  chronic  condition  or 
another  infection,  or  the  possibility  of  the  microorganisms  or 
their  toxins  migrating  to  distant  parts  of  the  body  with  con- 
comitant distress,  increased  temperature  and  remote  sequelae  in 
the  shape  of  indurations,  fibrous  changes,  adhesions,  pain,  etc. 
The  question  arises,  since  acute  infections  treated  early  are 
usually  cured  quickly  by  means  of  Autotherapy,  may  not  many 
of  the  long  category  of  chronic  conditions  resulting  from 
infections  or  contagions  be  forestalled?  The  question  is  one 
of  great  magnitude  and  importance,  and  the  affirmative  answer 
we  are  bound  to  give,  opens  up  therapeutic  possibilities  for 
Autotherapy  that  are  endless. 


BASIC  PRINCIPLES  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        27 

Autotherapy  is  no  therapeutic  fad  or  passing  fancy,  to  be 
discarded  in  a  little  while  for  some  other  whim,  method  or 
mode  of  therapy.  The  patient's  own  unmodified  toxin-com- 
plex should  cure  his  acute  localized  infection  in  a  thousand 
years  from  now  as  well  as  it  does  today.  A  natural  spon- 
taneous cure  is  one  of  the  few  things  that  has  endured  since 
the  earliest  period  of  human  existence,  and  an  induced  spon- 
taneous cure  will  endure  for  all  time,  for  the  principal  under- 
lying cures  made  by  its  use  are  the  same,  everlasting  and 
immutable.  For  this  reason  Autotherapy  has  come  to  the 
physician's  hand  to  stay,  and  the  physician  who  does  not  use 
it  in  treating  patients  with  localized  infections  is  not  employ- 
ing one  of  the  greatest  weapons  we  have  at  our  command  in 
fighting  disease.  We  are  gradually  moving  away  from  complex 
medication,  back  to  obvious  natural  therapy. 

Natural  methods  may  appear  crude  and  simple.  The  fault 
is  not  with  Nature,  the  fault  lies  in  the  fact  that  we  have 
moved  so  far  away  from  her  that  we  fail  to  appreciate  or  per- 
ceive the  truths  she  holds  out  to  us  in  all  of  their  bearings. 
This  accounts  for  the  endless  speculations,  controversies,  and 
uncertainty  that  have  characterized  the  study  of  medicine 
through  past  ages.  In  spite  of  our  vaunted  knowledge  it  is 
perhaps  humiliating  to  be  told  that  the  patient  brings  his 
natural  remedy  with  him  in  his  body  to  the  physician,  and  it 
often  can  be  obtained.  Autotherapy  does  not  treat  the  disease 
empirically  in  the  sense  which  we  ordinarily  understand  by 
the  word;  it  does  not  give  the  patient  a  little  symptomatic 
treatment,  or  treat  the  disease  locally  with  modern  medicines 
with  high-sounding  names.  Autotherapy  treats  "  the  patient  " 
with  the  remedy  Nature  designed  and  foreordained  to  fit  his 
condition  exactly.  The  wonderful  therapeutic  value  of  her 
preparations  cannot  be  denied.  Old  Dame  Nature  is  the 
pharmacist  supreme. 


28  AUTOTHERAPY 

Antiseptics,  oils,  and  mucous  membrane  stimulants  are  at 
times  useful,  after  the  bactericidal  elements  of  the  blood  have 
destroyed  the  infecting  microorganisms,  to  assist  in  the  repair 
of  the  relaxed  condition  of  the  local  tissues  due  to  the  inflam- 
matory condition  accompanying  the  infection,  and  they  at  times 
do  cure.  Autotherapy,  on  the  other  hand,  strikes  at  and  tends 
to  remove  the  cause  of  the  disease,  and  seldom  requires  sup- 
portive treatment  of  this  nature,  except  for  the  physician  to 
have  the  appearance  of  "  doing  something."  Local  treatment 
of  known  therapeutic  value  is  not  contraindicated,  as  far  as 
the  writer  knows,  except  that  the  local  medication  should  not 
contaminate  the  discharge  from  which  the  toxins  are  prepared. 
The  writer  believes  that  many  antiseptics  as  such  or  preserva- 
tives will  modify  to  some  extent  the  delicate  enzymes,  fer- 
ments, etc.,  that  correspond  to  each  bacterial  toxin.  The  re- 
action to  the  unmodified  toxins  that  come  out  of  a  patient's 
body  is  the  exact  specific  reaction  to  the  same  toxins  remaining 
in  the  body. 


The  attitude  of  the  true  physician,  "Investigate  every  method  of 
treatment  that  may  accomplish  good  with  an  open  mind  and  hold  fast 
to  what  is  found  to  possess  true  merit." 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  AUTOTHERAPY 

That  there  are  limitations  to  every  therapeutic  method  or 
system  of  heahng,  is  evident.  But  it  is  difficult  to  define  or 
set  limits  to  the  possibilities  of  Nature's  efforts  in  arresting 
a  given  process  of  destruction  and  instituting  in  its  place  the 
process  of  repair. 

"  Nature  tends  to  restore  the  tissues,"  is  a  medical  axiom 
or  truism  that  has  been  accepted  since  Hippocrates  gave  his 
"  Expectant  Treatment,"  or  leaving  the  non-malignant  condi- 
tion to  the  efforts  of  Nature  at  restoration. 

While  it  is  true  we  understand  better  than  formerly  the 
efforts  Nature  puts  forth  to  overcome  the  invasion  of  patho- 
genic microorganisms,  namely,  raising  the  bactericidal  power 
of  the  blood  serum,  and  increasing  the  activity  of  the  leuko- 
cytes to  overcome  the  invaders,  still  our  knowledge  in  the 
aggregate  m'!ght  be  considered  small  indeed,  compared  with  the 
truths  hidden  behind  the  veil  of  our  comprehension.  A  com- 
plete understanding  of  the  means  that  Nature  employs  in 
restoring  the  tissues  necessitates  a  complete  knowledge  of  all 
possible  changes  that  can  transpire  in  complex  organic  chemis- 
try and  in  biology.    It  will  probably  be  a  long  time  before  we 

29 


30  AUTOTHERAPY 

possess  such  profound  knowledge,  but  in  the  meantime  we 
must  content  ourselves  with  observing  results  brought  about  by 
Nature  and  imitating  her  methods  in  accomplishing  these 
as  closely  as  possible,  disregarding  perhaps  for  the  time  being 
a  scientific  explanation  of  the  natural  phenomena  she  employs 
in  accomplishing  her  ends.  In  Autotherapy  the  physician 
employs  Nature's  weapons  in  accelerating  the  natural  process 
of  repair  and  for  this  reason  it  is  difficult  to  define  accurately 
the  limits  of  cure  that  bound  Autotherapy.  However,  certain 
known  facts  are  established,  the  knowledge  of  which  is  essen- 
tial if  the  maximum  assistance  be  rendered  the  tissues  in  their 
efforts  to  arrest  the  process  of  destruction  and  to  institute  in 
its  place  the  process  of  repair.  No  one  can  object  to  the 
use  of  Autotherapy  where  it  is  known  it  will  do  good. 

Alexander  Fleming,  M.D.,  in  an  article  under  the  title  of 
"  Vaccine  Therapy  "  that  appeared  in  The  Practitioner,  of 
March,  1914,  states:  "We  have  known  that  an  immunizing 
response  can  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  widely  divergent  quan- 
tities of  vaccine  and  that  clinically  good  results  can  be  ob- 
tained by  the  use  of  small  doses,  or  by  doses  more  than  a 
thousand  times  as  large.  Sir  Almroth  and  his  colleagues  in 
attempting  to  explain  the  question  of  dosage,  put  forward  the 
following  theories : 

1.  "  When  a  dose  of  vaccine  is  a  very  small  one,  it  is  anchored 

at  the  site  of  inoculation  ;  thus  only  protective  substances 
reach  the  systemic  circulation.'' 

2.  ".When  the  dose  of  vaccine  is  greater  than  can  be  anchored 

at  the  seat  of  inoculation,  then  part  of  it  passes  into  the 
circulation,  and  reaches  the  general  tissues  giving  rise 
to  systemic  immunizing  response.  Here,  then,  we  have 
a  toxin  entering  the  blood  stream  and  later  protective 
substances  elaborated  by  the  action  of  this  toxin  in  the 
tissues  of  the  body.  This  is  shown  serologically  by  the 
occurrence  of  a  negative  phase,  immediately  after  the 


THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        31 

injection  of  large  doses  of  vaccine  and  the  subsequent 
positive  phase  denoting  the  immunizing  response.  The 
dose  depends  on,  not  the  actual  quantity  of  vaccine 
incorporated,  but  the  quantity  of  the  antigen  which 
will  be  set  free  from  it  in  the  organism  of  the  patient. 
The  condition  of  '  tolerance '  which  can  be  obtained 
by  frequent  large  doses  of  vaccine  may  be  a  condition 
not  of  immunization  but  of  bacterioclastic  power  similar 
to  the  conditions  of  patients  with  severe  tuberculosis 
who  when  the  illness  is  nearing  a  fatal  end  fail  to  give 
the  Von  Pirquet  Reaction." 

Since  it  is  claimed  by  Wright  and  his  confreres  that  there  is 
a  limit  to  the  reaction  of  fixed  cells  to  any  bacterial  toxin,  we 
should  never  inject  the  toxin-complex  in  the  same  place  twice. 
There  are  also  limits  to  the  systemic  reaction  a  given  pa- 
tient may  develop ;  hence  after  a  severe  systemic  reaction,  the 
interval  between  doses  should  be  materially  lengthened.  We 
can  learn  these  limits  only  by  studying  the  individual,  and  at 
times  the  idiosyncrasy  of  the  patient,  the  power  of  recupera- 
tion possessed  by  him  at  the  time  of  the  injection,  whether 
anaphylaxis  is  present  or  not,  whether  the  condition  is  acute 
or  chronic  and  the  degree  of  virulence  of  the  microorganisms, 
etc.  In  the  presence  of  anaphylaxis  an  exceedingly  small  dose, 
say  one  billionth  of  a  minim  or  smaller,  is  indicated. 

The  usefulness  of  Autotherapy  is  also  limited  in  those  pa- 
tients from  whom  apparently  we  are  not  able  to  obtain  the 
toxic  substances  from  which  he  suffers.  It  is  altogether  prob- 
able that  this  latter  limit  will  be  considerably  narrowed  as  we 
learn  more  of  the  complex  biological  changes  that  are  possible 
to  take  place  within  the  living  cells.  We  know  that  at  the 
present  time,  we  are  able  to  utilize  the  blood  and  blister 
serum,  spinal  fluid,  etc.,  in  a  wide  range  of  infections.  From 
what  has  preceded,  we  see  there  are  limits  to  the  reactive 
response  that  any  patient  can  develop  to  a  given  vaccine  or 


32  AUTOTHERAPY 

toxin ;  and  for  this  reason  care  should  be  exercised  that  we 
do  not  overstep  these  limits.  This  may  be  done  first  by 
giving  a  comparatively  small  dose  and  increasing  or  decreas- 
ing it  according  to  the  needs  of  the  patient,  and  lengthening 
the  interval  between  doses  when  either  the  cutaneous  or  sys- 
temic reactions  are  pronounced.  It  is  difficult  to  generalize 
in  this  connection,  but  in  order  that  the  reader  may  approach 
the  subject  from  a  clinical  point  of  view  intelligently,  it  is 
altogether  proper  that  attempts  be  made  at  general  instruction. 
This  is  given  with  the  understanding  that  in  case  of  doubt,  we 
should  be  inclined  to  err  on  the  safe  side,  namely  in  giving  the 
smaller  dose,  then  if  improvement  does  not  follow  withhold- 
ing the  remedy  till  we  are  sure  the  patient  is  not  suffering 
from  a  negative  phase.  A  slight  rigor  or  chill  indicates  pro- 
nounced systemic  reaction.  When  this  occurs  we  ordinarily 
do  not  give  a  succeeding  dose  as  soon  as  we  would  had  there 
been  no  rigor  or  chill.  As  a  general  rule,  in  the  early  stages 
of  an  acute  infectious  disease  the  patient  will  stand  a  larger 
dose. better  than  later  when  the  system  is  taxed  with  the 
poison  of  the  disease;  for  example,  the  third  or  fourth  day 
of  pneumonia,  when  the  patient  is  overpowered  with  toxins. 
Chronic  infections  usually  require  smaller  doses  than  acute 
infections.  It  appears  to  be  unnecessary  to  state  that  the 
very  young,  the  very  old,  and  patients  with  low  vitality 
should  receive  smaller  doses,  but  in  order  that  there  be  no 
misunderstanding,  it  is  necessary  to  make  many  statements 
that  are  apparently  obvious,  and  some  that  are  of  minor 
importance. 

The  limitations  of  Autotherapy  are  welcomed  first, — By 
those  who  are  not  in  sympathy  with  anything  that  is  new. 
Second, — By  the  progressive  element  of  the  profession  who 
welcome  anything  that  will  do  good.  Third, — As  a  guide  to 
the  general  practitioner  in  the  treatment  of  his  patients.    Ad- 


THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        33^ 

verse  criticisms  of  Autotherapy  usually  come  to  us  from  the 
"  old  rut  thinkers/*  and  those  with  whose  specialty  it  inter- 
feres.   A  few  of  these  criticisms  are  given : 

1.  Autotherapy   should  be   excluded   till   it  receives   further 

elaboration. 

2.  Autotherapy  is  crude  and  unscientific.    There  is  no  standard 

dose. 

3.  There  is  no  telling  when  Autotherapy  cures,  for  many  of 

the   diseases   it   is   claimed   to   cure  quickly   are   self- 
limited. 

4.  It  is  too  difficult  and  dangerous  for  the  general  practitioner 

to  prepare  the  remedy;  it  should  be  prepared  only  by 
an  expert. 

5.  It  interferes  with  the  specialists. 

6.  It  is  useful  only  in  purulent  infections,  as  boils,  abscesses, 

infected  wounds. 

7.  Pus  by  the  mouth  is  ineffective  because  its  action  is  inter- 

fered with  by  the  gastric  juices. 

8.  Autotherapy  is  not  as  convenient  as  vaccine  therapy. 

9.  Autotherapy  is  limited  to  diseases  which  are  referable  to 

bacterial  infection. 

I.  Autotherapy  should  be  excluded  till  it  receives  further 
elaboration. 

A  natural  or  spontaneous  cure  of  an  infection  is  not  new, 
but  this  method  of  assisting  the  tissues  or  hurrying,  or  arming 
them  to  perform  a  spontaneous  cure  at  will  is  new.  Prof. 
Geo.  F.  Laidlaw  says,  "  Autotherapy  is  but  one  step  forward 
in  the  regular  developments  of  biological  therapeutics." 

Dr.  James  Law,  ex-Dean  and  Emeritus  Professor  of  The 
New  York  State  Veterinary  Medical  College,  at  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, says,  in  reference  to  Autotherapy,  "  Who  has  always 
been  the  Great  Healer?    Is  it  not  the  Great  Creator?    Before 


34  AUTOTHERAPY 

medicine  had  a  name  or  a  substantial  reality  sick  and  wounded 
men  and  beasts  largely  recovered  from  their  morbid  condi- 
tions by  what  would  be  called  the  defensive  actions  of  Nature. 
No  thinking  man  can  close  his  eyes  to  the  obvious  facts  that 
every  recovery  is  a  triumph  of  the  living  being  over  the  malign 
conditions  and  causes  that  beset  it.  Had  the  evil  influence 
continued  with  unabated  force  in  a  system  that  could  get  up 
no  greater  resistance,  a  fatal  outcome  would  have  been  inevi- 
table. The  repair  of  the  wounded  tissues  has  been  as  a  rule 
expected  and  looked  for.  The  counterpart,  in  the  repair  of 
deeper  and  more  obscure  tissue,  of  deranged  function  in  cells, 
metabolic  processes,  etc.,  was  equally  to  be  looked  for  through 
the  corrective  action  of  Nature's  loom.'' 

We  have  arrived  only  within  recent  years  at  the  point  where 
we  endeavor  to  imitate  natural  cures  with  vaccines. 

The  criticism  that  Autotherapy  needs  further  elaboration  is 
justifiable  if  we  admit  that  any  branch  of  biological  thera- 
peutics is  complete.  The  principle  needs  further  elaboration — 
there  are  few  great  principles,  in  biology  or  immunity,  that 
do  not.  We  know  comparatively  so  little  of  the  physiological 
workings  of  the  human  body  in  its  relation  to  the  defensive 
action  of  the  tissues  that  some  one  has  said,  "  The  physician 
is  a  m.an  who  knows  little,  who  puts  drugs  of  which  he  knows 
less,  into  bodies  of  which  he  knows  nothing."  But  there  is 
no  reason  why  we  should  not  apply  Autotherapy  in  treating 
the  sick  where  it  has  been  abundantly  proved  it  will  do  good. 

2.  Autotherapy  is  crude  and  unscientific.  There  is  no 
standard  dose. 

The  criticism  of  Autotherapy  as  unscientific,  and  of  the  dose 
as  inaccurate  has  been  advanced  so  ingenuously  and  constantly 
that  we  have  decided  to  answer  this  criticism  more  fully.  If 
Nature  may  appear  crude  and  unscientific  in  her  efforts  at 
restoration,  the  fault  lies  not  with  Nature's  methods,  but  in 


THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        35 

the  fact  that  we  have  moved  so  far  away  from  her  that  we 
fail  to  perceive  and  appreciate  the  truths  she  holds  out  to  us, 
in  all  of  their  bearings ;  this  accounts  for  the  endless  specula- 
tions, controversies,  and  uncertainties  that  have  characterized 
the  study  of  medicine  throughout  past  ages.  Nature  often 
cures  where  so-called  science  utterly  fails.  Hippocrates  recog- 
nized Nature  as  the  Great  Healer. 

What  is  considered  scientific  today  may  not  be  scientific 
tomorrow,  as  new  light  is  thrown  on  the  subject  by  many 
investigators.  So-called  scientific  medicine  has  ever  teemed 
with  prophecies  unfulfilled  and  too  often  has  led  us  into  the 
mire.  Many  therapeutic  agents  derived  from  so-called  scien- 
tific deductions  are  annually  discarded  after  a  brief  period  of 
clinical  usage — not  alone  for  the  reason  that  they  are  ineffica- 
cious but  for  the  far  more  weighty  reason  that  clinical  tests 
have  proved  them  to  be  positively  dangerous  to  life.  When 
we  get  away  from  the  idea  of  standardizing  the  dose  we  will 
be  in  a  better  position  to  cure  our  patients,  for  there  is  no 
standard  dose  any  more  than  there  is  a  standard  sick  individual. 

With  Autotherapy  we  treat  the  patient  according  to  his 
needs  and  not  the  disease.  The  criticism  of  Autotherapy — that 
many  diseases  which  it  cures  are  self -limited  and  that  the 
patient  would  probably  have  recovered  without  medication — 
is  answered,  by  the  fact  that  Autotherapy  often  cures  many 
chronic  conditions,  even  those  of  many  years'  standing,  quickly. 
In  this  connection  I  would  suggest  that  mastoiditis  is  an  infec- 
tion that  not  infrequently  leads  to  double  operation.  A  num- 
ber of  mastoid  infections  that  had  been  operated  on  one  side 
in  which  the  symptoms  indicated  that  the  other  side  also  was 
involved,  in  which  the  operation  was  forestalled  by  Auto- 
therapy, robs  this  criticism  of  force. 

Curing  bronchitis  of  years'  standing  within  a  few  weeks 
by  means  of  Autotherapy  must  be  counted  as  a  triumph,  and 


36  AUTOTHERAPY 

makes  this  criticism  ridiculous;  and  when  the  criticism  is 
opened  by  one  with  whose  specialty  it  interferes,  it  is  obvious 
the  critic  is  speaking  from  personal  grounds  and  not  with  a 
view  of  establishing  a  therapeutic  truth. 

Meltzer,  of  the  Rockefeller  Institute,  says,  in  The  Journal 
of  the  American  Medical  Association:  "  Men  trained  exclu- 
sively in  the  laboratory  do  not  seem  to  see  that  a  medical  fact 
observed  critically  by  a  capable  physician  deserves  as  much 
credence  and  consideration  as  a  fact  developed  by  laboratory 
methods." 

Lack  of  scientific  explanation  of  the  phenomenon  of  cure, 
does  not  detract  from  its  established  therapeutic  value,  and 
should  not  deter  us  from  using  it.  An  unexplained  truth  may 
open  up  a  broad  field  for  scientific  investigations.  A  remark- 
able feature  of  this  criticism  is  that  it  usually  comes  from  men 
who  claim  little  scientific  knowledge  of  immunity. 

Dr.  J.  J.  Sellwood,  of  the  Sellwood  General  Hospital,  speaks 
forcibly  to  the  point  when  he  states,  in  The  Medical  Sentinel, 
of  June,  1914,  in  an  article  under  the  title  of  "  Autotherapy," 
"  Two  years  of  experience  with  a  multitude  of  cases  and  abso- 
lutely no  bad  results,  but  on  the  contrary  good  results,  cer- 
tainly proves  something,  and  should  at  least  make  those  of  us 
who  are  not  blinded  by  personal  prejudice,  ignorance,  and  gross 
asininity  see  the  light  of  knowledge  clearly." 

Adverse  criticism  of  Autotherapy  is  usually  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  the  ignorance  or  prejudice  of  the  critic.  Ignorance 
of  a  new  therapeutic  measure  may  be  excused  in  the  practicing 
physician  who  has  often  little  or  no  time  or  opportunity  for 
keeping  informed  regarding  current  medical  literature,  but 
when  a  physician  becomes  so  bold  as  to  flaunt  his  ignorance, 
consideration  for  his  feelings  should  no  longer  deter  us  from 
pointing  out  the  evils,  the  dangers,  the  positive  menace  to 
human  life  to  which  his  teachings  are  liable  to  lead. 


THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        37 

In  the  early  days  of  the  development  of  Autotherapy  many 
physicians  were  drawn  into  the  unenviable  position  of  criticis- 
ing it  unjustly.  How  such  an  one  is  now  pitied — by  himself — 
when  he  has  at  last  seen  the  light! 

4.  It  is  too  difficult  and  dangerous  for  the  general  prac- 
titioner to  prepare  the  autotherapeutic  remedy.  It  should  be 
prepared  only  by  an  expert. 

Facts,  however,  are  stubborn  things,  and  they  have  given  this 
criticism,  the  coup  de  main;  for  it  is  being  used  successfully 
by  thousands  of  practicing  physicians  with  little  biological 
training,  and  has  been  for  several  years,  wthout  any  evidence 
of  injury.  The  principles  that  underlie  the  cures  made  by 
Autotherapy  agree  with  practically  all  we  know  of  modern 
biological  therapeutics. 

In  making  a  plain  statement  of  facts,  the  essayist  may  be 
suspected  of  being  carried  away  with  enthusiasm  and  we  may 
not  agree  with  the  deductions  made,  but  to  submit  an  estab- 
lished medical  fact  to  argument  is  as  futile  as  the  scriptural 
oxen  kicking  against  the  pricks.     Facts  are  not  debatable. 

We  have  actually  been  told  that  Autotherapy  is  too  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous  for  the  practitioner  to  employ.  What? 
Too  difficult  and  dangerous  to  lick  a  wound  ?  Then  the  dog's 
life  is  in  constant  danger  when  he  licks  and  cures  his  injured 
foot.  We  wonder  how  our  critic  could  improve  on  this  simple 
obvious  technic,  and  why  all  dogs  are  not  long  since  dead. 

5.  //  interferes  with  the  specialist. 

Was  it  Macaulay  who  said,  "  If  Newton's  Law  of  Gravity 
conflicted  with  vested  interests  it  would  not  be  recognized 
today?" 

When  Autotherapy  aborts  a  thousand  dollar  operation  of 
course  there  are  objections  and  criticisms,  certainly!  it  is 
then  that  we  hear  the  criticism  that  Autotherapy  is  unscientific, 
difficult  and  dangerous. 


38  AUTOTHERAPY 

6.  It  is  only  useful  in  purulent  infections  as  boils,  abscesses, 
infected  wounds,  etc. 

This  is  the  criticism  of  those  who  have  not  tested  it  properly, 

7.  Pus  by  the  mouth  is  ineffective  because  its  action  is  inter- 
fered with  by  the  gastric  juices. 

We  are  not  concerned  regarding  this,  or  in  fact  any  other 
criticism,  of  Autotherapy;  this  one  in  particular  is  too  easily 
met. 

Dr.  Laidlaw  says,  of  the  critics  of  Autotherapy,  "  A  strong 
man's  enemies  do  him  more  good  than  his  friends.  His 
friends  flatter  him  and  never  tell  him  the  truth.  His  enemies 
show  him  his  weak  points  and  force  him  to  work  harder  than 
ever  to  improve  his  work  so  that  it  will  stand  criticism." 

Certain  it  is  as  far  as  criticism  is  based  on  truth  time  and 
clinical  experience  will  demonstrate  its  worth,  but  when  an 
obvious  self-evident  truth  is  assailed,  namely :  that  pus  by 
the  mouth  is  ineffective ;  we  are  either  forced  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  testimony  of  many  hundreds  of  physicians  is  worth- 
less, or  that  the  critic  is  prejudiced,  and  for  want  of  better 
excuse  in  opposing  Autotherapy  has  hit  upon  this  very  poor 
one.  The  entire  subject  will  be  reviewed  in  another  con- 
nection. 

Passing  on  from  the  seventh  criticism,  which  has  been 
mainly  covered  in  the  preceding  paragraphs,  we  come  to  the 
eighth. 

8.  Autotherapy  is  not  as  convenient  as  vaccine  therapy. 
With  the  man  who  shuts  his  eyes,  ears,  and  understanding, 

who  will  not  comprehend  that  the  simple  process  of  filtering 
the  pathogenic  exudate  is  about  as  simple  a  process  as  steriliz- 
ing the  hands  for  an  operation,  we  have  no  contention.  We 
will  say  even  less  of  the  yet  simpler  and  most  convenient 
process  of  giving  the  crude  discharge  by  the  mouth.  Further 
answer  to  this  criticism  appears  unnecessary. 


THE  LIMITATIONS  OF  AUTOTHERAPY        39 

To  the  laboratory  worker  with  his  necessary  elaborate  appa- 
ratus, the  convenience  Autotherapy  offers  is  obvious.  The 
superior  advantage  that  Autotherapy  offers  over  stock  vaccine 
and  the  speed  with  which  it  may  often  be  administered  (from 
one  minute  to  two  hours)  inclines  us  to  suspect  this  criticism 
had  its  origin  in  a  brilliant  conception  of  some  commercial 
manufacturer  of  vaccines. 

9.  Autotherapy  is  limited  to  diseases  which  are  referable 
to  bacterial  infection. 

The  diseases  that  are  not  referable  to  bacterial  infection, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  are  rapidly  diminishing  as  new 
light  is  thrown  on  the  subject  by  many  investigators.  For  one 
by  one  the  number  of  diseases  not  known  to  be  of  bacterial 
origin  are  diminishing.  Many  physicians  are  hardly  yet 
familiar  with  the  fact  that  common  colds,  jaundice,  rheu- 
matism, are  due  to  microbic  invasion. 

Within  the  last  decade  the  spirocheta  pallida  has  been  dis- 
covered; and  the  hunt  is  still  on  for  the  evanescent  poliomye- 
litis microbe.  Till  within  recent  years  we  were  apt  to  under- 
rate the  important  role  that  bacteria  play.  At  the  present 
time  we  are  liable  to  attribute  much  weight,  at  times  too 
much  weight,  to  the  opinion  of  the  bacteriologist,  who  in  many 
instances  has  not  seen  the  patient,  and  we  consequently  are  too 
often  subjected  to  the  mortification  of  failure  by  giving  the 
dose  and  repetition  of  the  dose  of  vaccine  he  recommends. 

At  the  present  time  wonders  are  being  claimed  for  the  use 
of  many  procedures  which  a  few  years  ago  would  have  seemed 
incredible,  to  say  nothing  of  the  various  body  organs  which  are 
being  prescribed,  not  only  in  conditions  wherein  they  might 
seem  indicated  but  in  other  conditions  in  which  there  is  no 
rationale  for  their  action. 

One  could  hardly  look  upon  dried  placenta  as  an  aesthetic 
remedy,  yet  there  has  been  no  outcry  against  it  on  this  score. 


40  AUTOTHERAPY 

If  an  extract  of  prostate  or  testicle  has  specific  or  other 
therapeutic  efficacy,  one  could  hardly  strain  at  giving  some  of 
the  substances  recommended  in  Autotherapy,  on  the  score  of 
their  not  being  aesthetic,  or  of  their  inertness. 

How  many  readers  realize  the  source  of  many  remedies  in 
daily  use  ?  Moschus  is  the  smegma  from  the  musk-ox,  and  is 
given  in  strong  or  weak  doses  according  to  the  needs  of  the 
patient; — and  mephitis  putorius  the  odoriferous  extract  of  the 
anal  glands  of  the  skunk ;  sepsin,  these  and  many  other  reme- 
dies of  a  similar  nature  are  commonly  given  when  indicated. 

Taking  exception  to  the  autotherapeutic  method  of  placing 
back  into  the  patient's  body  that  which  came  out  of  it,  appears 
to  be  like, — "  straining  at  a  gnat  and  swallowing  a  camel." 

Would  not  Bramwell,  who  caused  a  youth  to  grow  some 
inches  by  giving  him  thyroid  (thereby  making  it  possible  for 
him  to  be  admitted  for  military  service),  have  been  called  a 
medical  adventurer  in  the  past  ?  Every  time  we  think  of  cases 
Hke  these  we  feel  sorry  for  the  poor  public  for  among  such 
marvels  how  can  they  tell  what  to  believe? 


The  Magna  Charta  of  the  Healing  Art — 

The  Remedy  Comes  From  Within. 


CHAPTER  IV 
AUTOIMMUNIZATION 

The  human  body  is  a  self-regulating  mechanism,  and  auto- 
matically restores  normal  equilibrium;  restoring  equilibrium 
is  the  all-important  factor  in  the  treatment  of  disease. 

Self-preservation  is  the  "  First  Law  of  Nature  " ;  so  in  con- 
sidering Autotherapy  or  self -therapy  we  are  in  reality  consid- 
ering in  a  new  light  the  "  First  Law  of  Nature." 

Autotherapy  agrees  with  practically  all  that  is  known  of 
modern  biological  therapeutics,  but  was  developed  by  clinical 
experience.  The  value  of  clinical  experience  was  long  ago 
recognized  by  Hippocrates,  who  taught  that  "  Observation 
rather  than  speculation  is  the  true  instrument  of  progress." 

In  Autotherapy  we  take  advantage  of  the  slow  natural 
process  of  autoimmunization  and  immunize  the  patient  quickly. 
We  put  out  the  match  as  it  were  before  the  conflagration  is 
well  started. 

This  chapter  deals  briefly  with  several  methods  of  auto- 
immunization, that  have  not  always  been  recognized  as  such. 
It  is  the  object  of  this  chapter  to  appeal  to  reason  and  thus 
to  awaken  professional  interest  in  this  natural  method  of  heal- 
ing the  tissues,  that  is  now  placed  within  the  hands  of  the 
physician.     The  main  thought  that  is  desired  to  emphasize 

41 


42  AUTOTHERAPY 

forcibly  is,  The  purification  of  the  body  comes  from  within; 
that  Nature  is  the  purifier  or  the  true  healer  of  the  body 
tissues. 

Vegetable  and  mineral  drug  antagonism  to  infection  has 
been  weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  lacking. 

Many  have  realized  the  shortcomings  of  medicine,  and  dur- 
.  ing  the  last  decade  have  openly  advocated  therapeutic  nihilism, 
but  therapeutic  nihilism  must  give  way  to  the  Magna 
Charta  of  the  healing  art,  namely,  "  The  purification  of  the 
body  comes  from  within,"  that  Nature  is  the  true  healer,  the 
physician  her  servant  and  that  we  at  best  assist  the  tissues  in 
their  eflForts  at  restoration.  Care  should  be  exercised  that  we 
do  not  contravene  or  block  Nature  in  her  efiforts  at  restoring 
the  tissues,  by  meddling,  or  the  injudicious  use  of  drugs. 

Autotherapy  proves  every  patient  suffering  with  a  localized 
infection,  carries  the  remedy  for  his  condition  within  the  locus 
of  his  infection.  The  application  is  so  simple  we  wonder  it 
was  not  discovered  long  ago.  The  Autotherapeutic  remedy 
is  Nature's  remedy,  uncontaminated  and  undefiled  with  com- 
plexities of  laboratory  technic,  manufactured  in  Nature's  lab- 
oratory— ^the  body  tissues  of  the  patient. 

Autoimmunisation  by  Hyperemia,  Hot  Fomentations,  etc. 

We  are  all  autotherapeutists,  humiliating  as  it  may  be  to 
realize  it.  Sir  Clive  Riviers,  M.D.,  says  in  his  scholarly  thesis, 
under  the  title  of  "  The  Role  of  Auto-inoculation  in  Medicine : 
A  Plea  for  Its  Rational  Extension,"  that  appeared  in  the 
February,  191 1,  Proceedings  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Medicine. 
"  It  is  this  natural  auto-inoculation  that  is  exploited  with  suc- 
cess by  the  time-honored  process  of  hot  fomentations." 
"  Nature  was  the  earliest  therapeutist,  by  arousing  the  natural 
defensive  forces  from  within.    In  assisting  Nature  by  induced 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  43 

hyperemia  we  have  several  natural  processes  to  study  and 
imitate.  First,  irrigation  of  the  infected  area  by  plasma  and 
leukocytes,  and  this  of  itself  may  be  enough  to  cure  a  mild 
infection.  Second,  auto-inoculation,  or  washing  of  the  bac- 
terial products  into  the  blood  stream,  to  stimulate  in  the  tis- 
sues the  formation  of  new  antibodies,  specific  to  the  invading 
microorganisms.  By  induced  hyperemia  as  in  hot  fomenta- 
tions, etc.,  not  only  is  irrigation  assisted,  but  such  irrigation 
of  plasma,  itself  of  value,  necessarily  helped  to  an  increase 
of  that  auto-inoculation  on  which  the  improved  resistance  of 
the  body  depends.  Such  an  effect  is  obvious  as  far  as 
hyperemia  is  concerned.  In  the  application  of  hyperemia  the 
influence  of  the  physician  has  been  solely  in  the  direction  of 
irresponsible  irrigation,  but  Nature's  armamentarium  contains 
in  addition  the  weapon  of  auto-inoculation,  a  weapon  to  be 
brought  into  use  where  irrigation  with  plasma  alone  has  failed. 
The  physician  has  neglected  this  weapon;  he  has  been  an 
irrigator  pure  and  simple.  To  be  sure,  auto-inoculation  has 
necessarily  occurred  as  a  result  of  his  irrigation,  but  has  he 
directed  it?  has  he  applied  his  hot  fomentations  at  such  inter- 
vals that  time  may  be  allowed  between  for  the  formation  of 
antibodies?  Has  he  calculated  at  what  intervals  he  should 
auto-inoculate  his  cases  to  maintain  most  successfully  their 
toxic  immunity?  As  a  matter  of  fact  he  has  done  none  of 
these  things." 

"Auto-inoculation  is  open  to  one  disadvantage  of  more  or 
less  serious  nature — namely,  the  fact  that  we  must  auto- 
inoculate  into  the  blood  stream  instead  of  into  the  tissues.  It 
is,  of  course,  well  known  that  toxin  immunity  (exemplified  in 
the  preparation  of  antitoxins)  is  better  achieved  by  subcuta- 
neous than  by  intravenous  injection,  and  the  evidence  generally 
seems  to  show  that  the  most  active  formation  of  bacterial 
antibodies   takes   place   in   these  tissues.      Bacterial  products 


44  AUTOTHERAPY 

must  necessarily  be  greatly  diluted  in  the  blood-stream,  and 
when  they  reach  the  tissues  by  this  path  are  not  so  fitted  to 
call  forth  a  response  as  they  would  be  if  injected  subcutane- 
ously.  Nevertheless  this  apparent  disadvantage  accompanies 
all  natural  methods  of  cure  and  by  auto-inoculation  we  are  but 
imitating  Nature's  mechanism.  It  may  be  that  the  tissues 
conjoining  the  diseased  focus  play  a  large  part  in  this  '  anti- 
body '  formation,  but  at  any  rate  we  need  hardly  fear  to 
follow  Nature's  lead." 

"  To  auto-inoculate  we  must  irrigate  powerfully,  and  that 
at  suitable  intervals.  Since  we  do  not  know  the  micro- 
organism with  which  we  are  fighting,  it  behooves  us  to  strike 
such  intervals  as  are  generally  suitable,  since  the  inoculation 
curve  does  not  vary  much  in  length  where  different  organisms 
are  concerned.  Once  a  week  where  auto-inoculation  is  large 
or  twice  a  week  where  small,  will  probably  be  most  suitable." 

Our  means  of  getting  rid  of  the  infecting  microorganism 
is  twofold:  (i)  By  raising  the  protective  power  of  the  blood 
by  auto-inoculation;  (2)  by  irrigating  the  focus  in  a  thorough 
manner  with  this  plasma  of  raised  power. 

Moist  Dressings 

It  has  been  reported  by  hunters  that  animals  when  wounded 
often  seek  a  stream  of  water  or  pond  in  which  they  lie  for 
days. 

Physicians  have  long  recognized  the  use  of  the  moist  appli- 
cation to  inflamed  areas  and  much  space  is  allotted  to  this 
method  of  treatment  in  the  large  number  of  boo^^s  that  have 
been  pubHshed  under  the  title  of  Hydrotherapy.  The  applica- 
tion of  moist  dressing  to  the  seat  of  infection  is  time  honored 
and  classic. 

Many  physicians  claim  that  it  is  but  little  short  of  a  crime 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  45 

to  allow  a  patient  with  a  wound  on  the  hand  to  suffer,  for  a 
moist  application  will  tend  to  relieve  the  pain  and  hasten  the 
cure.  The  "  Murphy  Drip  "  is  well  known,  and  needs  only  to 
be  mentioned  in  this  connection.  The  physiological  effect  of  the 
moist  dressing  has  been  little  understood,  but  it  appears  from 
close  analysis  to  depend  in  its  curative  effect  in  a  large  measure 
on  autoimmunization.  It  appears  further  that  the  relaxed 
and  flaccid  condition  of  the  tissues  due  to  the  more  or  less 
continuous  application  of  moisture,  allows  the  unmodified 
toxic  substances  developed  in  the  area  of  infection  to  escape 
into  the  surrounding  tissues  and  the  general  circulation,  and 
there  build  up  antibodies  specific  to  the  infecting  microorgan- 
isms. It  should  be  noted  in  this  connection  that  the  dose  is 
not  accurate  or  easily  controlled,  and  where  there  is  not  free 
drainage,  toxins  escaping  from  the  inflamed  area  into  the 
tissues  may  be  excessive,  and  liable  to  injure  the  patient. 
There  are  other  beneficent  effects  manifested  by  the  moist 
dressings  that  we  will  not  discuss  at  this  time;  namely,  the 
reduction  of  fever  by  a  constant  cool  application,  or  supplying 
the  tissues  with  moisture;  thus  facilitating  the  elimination  of 
toxic  substances  from  the  tissues,  etc.  Clinical  experience  in 
the  administration  of  the  autotherapeutic  remedy,  shows  that 
the  filtered  toxin-complex  may  be  given  in  much  larger  doses 
if  it  is  prepared  immediately  after  it  is  taken  from  the  patient's 
body  than  when  it  is  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours. 

Allowing  the  mixture  of  pathogenic  exudate  and  water 
to  stand  from  six  to  twenty-four  hours  adds  to  its  potency  or 
therapeutic  effect;  for  this  reason,  it  must  be  given  in  much 
smaller  doses.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the 
ferments  according  to  Bail,  that  correspond  to  each  bacterial 
toxin,  increase  in  the  exudate  quickly,  after  it  is  thrown  out 
of  the  body.  Before  the  exudate  is  expelled  from  the  body 
fermentation  has  progressed  but  little,  hence  the  toxic  sub- 


46  AUTOTHERAPY 

I  stances  in  the  exudate  are  less  toxic.     With  this  explanation 

I  the  warning  given  in  other  chapters,  namely :  Do  not  allozv  the 

j  exudate  and  water  to  stand  longer  than  twenty-four  hours 

I  before  filtering,  is  readily  understood.     The  clinician  skilled 

in  preparing  mucus,  for  filtration,   is  often  able  to  tell  the 

time  when  the  mixture  of  water  and  mucus  should  be  filtered 

by  closely  watching  and  noting  the  stage  of  fermentation.    The 

exudate  should  be  filtered  at  or  just  before. the  time  the  solid 

particles  settle  to  the  bottom  of  the  retainer. 

Radio-  and  Electro- Autoimmunisation 

"  The  hypotheses  of  electro-  and  radio-autoimmunization 
are  accounted  for  by  numerous  phenomena  otherwise  inex- 
plicable.* The  evidence  in  any  one  direction  is  not  very 
abundant  or  very  conclusive,  but  the  cumulative  evidence  along 
various  verging  lines  is,  I  think,  considerable. 

"The  first  thing  that  led  to  the  suspicion  of  a  possible 
vaccinal  action  of  the  Rontgen  Rays  was  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  skin  diseases  of  totally  diflferent  origin  and  nature 
seemed  to  improve  under  exceedingly  small  doses  of  the  irra- 
diation.    Psoriasis,  lupus,  eczema,  all  were  apparently  benefited. 

"  Acne  that  had  resisted  treatment  for  years  would  disappear 
under  the  rays,  just  as  if  the  case  had  been  treated  by  the 
injection  of  a  vaccine.  What  more  natural  than  to  suppose 
that  the  patient  himself  had  furnished  the  necessary  vaccine, 
under  the  stimulus  of  the  Rontgen  irradiation?  The  hy- 
pothesis received  still  further  confirmation  when  cases  of  lupus 
were  reported  in  which  an  irradiation  of  one  region — the  leg, 
for  example — was  followed  by  improvement  in  another  region, 

*  Dean  Butcher,  in  a  paper  before  the  Royal  Society  of  Medicine, 
under  the  title  of  "  Vaccine  Therapy,  Treatment,  Value  and  Limita- 
tions," read  June  15,  1910. 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  47 

such  as  the  face.  The  same  thing  was  observed  in  other  dis- 
eases. Acne  of  the  face  was  cured  by  X-ray  and  high-fre- 
quency effluves  applied  to  similar  lesions  on  the  back  and 
shoulders ;  high-frequency  effluves  applied  to  a  crop  of  boils 
would  apparently  render  the  patient  immune  to  further  inocula- 
tion; lupus  erythematosus  of  one  region  was  influenced  by 
X-ray  treatment  of  an  adjacent  part,  and  even  widespread 
carcinoma  of  the  breast  was  influenced  by  irradiation  of  only 
a  portion  of  the  affected  area.  The  hypothesis  received  fur- 
ther corroboration  from  observation,  that  in  certain  cases  of 
lupus,  and  even  of  cancer,  irradiation  of  affected  glands  was 
followed  by  improvement  in  the  lesion  itself. 

"  Let  me  give  you  a  few  instances  to  show  the  sort  of  evi- 
dence on  which  we  base  our  case.  They  are  but  impressionist 
sketches,  but  perhaps  may  give  as  accurate  an  idea  of  the  fact 
as  a  more  formal  picture,  duly  authenticated  by  initials,  dates 
and  curves : 

"  A  young  soldier — turned  out  of  the  army  incurable — 
deeply  pitted  with  variolar  acne — face,  neck,  shoulders  and 
back  covered  with  indurated  nodules  and  suppurating  abscesses. 
He  is  cured  in  a  few  weeks  by  X-rays  and  high-frequency 
effluves.  No  other  treatment  is  given,  either  external  or  in- 
ternal, and  the  abscesses  are  not  even  opened;  they  gradually 
shrink,  the  adjacent  skin  becomes  dry  and  brawny;  the  fluid 
contents  of  the  abscesses  dry  up,  with  the  final  evacuation  of 
a  tiny  plug  of  inspissated  pus.  There  is  no  further  formation 
of  pustles.     The  man  is  immune  to  staphylococci  infection. 

"  A  poor  governess  comes  in  much  the  same  condition — 
pale,  anaemic,  half  starved  with  pustular  acne  of  many  years' 
standing.  She  is  treated  with  high-frequency  effluves — a  mix- 
ture of  sparks,  X-rays,  and  ultra-violet  light.  The  back  and 
neck  are  chiefly  treated,  but  the  face  also  rapidly  improves. 
The  nodules  disappear,  the  abscesses  dry  up,  there  is  no  fur- 


48  AUTOTHERAPY 

ther  development  of  pustules ;  the  case  has  been  cured  by 
electrical  vaccination. 

"  A  young  naval  officer  has  been  plagued  all  of  his  life  with 
slight  acne.  He  is  treated  with  two  very  slight  irradiations 
by  X-ray.  The  treatment  is  unexpectedly  interrupted  by  his 
return  to  his  ship.  Nevertheless  he  is  cured,  and  has  no  return 
of  his  lifelong  complaint.  He  has  been  rendered  immune  by 
radio- vaccination . 

"  A  nurse  has  lupus  in  the  posterior  nares,  and  begs  for 
X-ray  treatment,  although  she  is  told  it  will  be  absolutely  use- 
less. Only  two  small  doses  of  X-ray  are  given,  such  as  one 
would  expect  could  hardly  reach  the  affected  region.  Never- 
theless the  case  is  greatly  benefited,  perhaps  cured. 

"  A  married  woman  is  treated  for  psoriasis  by  X-ray,  with 
the  result  there  is  a  premature  menopause,  and  a  menorrhagia 
of  many  years'  duration  is  cured. 

"  One  could  add  to  these  cases  many  others,  to  prove  the 
profound  influence  of  electric  and  radio-active  treatment  on 
the  general  organism.  Even  the  ordinary  process  of  Rontgen 
epilation  appears  to  be  a  biological  rather  than  a  merely 
destructive  phenomenon.  It  is,  at  least  in  part,  a  vital  reac- 
tion— phagocytosis,  since  it  has  been  found  that  the  process  of 
epilation  is  more  rapid  in  the  diseased  areas,  and  is  delayed  by 
the  application  of  disinfectants,  and  the  consequent  depression 
of  the  processes  of  vital  reaction, 

"  Our  hypothesis  then  supposes  that  the  ethereal  waves,  or 
the  electro-thermo-penetration,  contribute  to  the  process  of 
auto-inoculation  by  the  production  of  opsonins,  by  the  detach- 
ment of  the  side  chains  of  Ehrlich,  by  facilitating  the  reaction 
to  the  toxin  from  its  laboratory  in  the  tissues. 

"  One  of  the  greatest  arguments  in  favor  of  the  vaccinal 
hypothesis  is  the  latent  period  which  followed  Rontgen  or 
radium   irradiation  and   which  precedes  the  reaction.     The 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  49 

ominous  pause  is  to  my  mind  eloquent,  and  indicates  that  all 
of  the  resources  of  the  organism  are  being  called  upon  to 
resent  the  insult.  The  reaction  is  not  merely  a  physical  or 
chemical  one  but  a  biological  reaction  in  which  the  energy  of 
the  reaction  may  exceed  the  energy  of  attack. 

"  Much  time  must  elapse  before  we  can  hope  for  practical 
means  of  producing  or  controlling  auto-vaccination  by  elec- 
trical means.  If  the  vaccine  therapy  itself  is  correct — if  the 
production  of  antitoxins  and  antibodies  is  our  only  means 
of  resisting  bacterial  invasion — then  you  will  allow  that  the 
electrical  method  of  exciting  the  resistance  of  the  cells,  or  call- 
ing out  the  home-levies,  the  militia  of  the  organism  as  it  were, 
is  a  great  advance  over  the  cruder  method  of  vaccinal  treat- 
ment by  injection  of  foreign-bred  vaccine." 

Electro-Thermo-Penetration 

Dr.  Wm.  Harvey  King,  of  New  York  City,  reported  at  the 
191 5  meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society,  the  following  case  of  appendicitis  cured  by  electricity. 
The  word  cure  *  is  used  here  to  denote  the  process  of  repair 
was  instituted  in  the  face  of  destruction.  Dr.  King  found  by 
experimenting  on  a  beef  liver  with  the  electrodes  placed  ten 
or  twelve  inches  apart,  that  midway  between  the  poles  a  higher 
temperature  was  registered  by  a  thermometer,  than  when  it 
was  placed  in  other  parts  of  the  liver.  He  found  by  adjusting 
a  certain  current  he  could  control  the  height  of  the  tempera- 
ture. Now  he  placed  the  poles  on  the  abdomen  and  back  of 
a  patient  suffering  with  appendicitis  in  such  a  way  that  the 
appendix  in  normal  position  would  come  immediately  between 
them,  and  turned  on  the  proper  amount  of  current.  A  reaction 
followed  similar  to  the  reaction  that  sets  in  when  a  patient  is 
*  The  word  cure  is  always  used  in  this  sense. 


50  AUTOTHERAPY 

treated  autotherapeutically  by  injecting  subcutaneously  the 
filtrate  of  his  own  sputum.  Here  was  a  case  undoubtedly  auto- 
immunized  by  electricity,  the  electricity  causing  a  hyperemia 
or  congestion  which  resulted  in  autoimmunizing  the  patient. 

Autoimmunization  by  Sea  Plasma 

One  of  the  ablest  exponents  of  Sea  Plasma  Therapy  states 
that,  "  Sea  Plasma  is  made  in  the  laboratory  by  combining  deep 
sea-water  with  spring-water  in  proper  proportions  to  make  an 
isotonic  solution,  and  when  this  is  injected  in  sufficient  amounts 
in  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  cubic  centimeters,  the  results  are 
most  gratifying  in  neurasthenia,  enterocolitis,  and  many  other 
infections." 

In  the  light  of  Autotherapy  it  appears  reasonable  to  assume 
that  the  injection  into  the  patient  of  such  large  quantities  of 
fluid  might  rupture  some  minute  blood  vessels,  and  therefore 
produce  some  extravasation  into  the  tissues.  The  toxins  would 
now  be  diluted  with  physiological  salt  solution  within  the  loose 
cellular  subdermal  tissues  where  we  know  the  greatest  amount 
of  antibodies  is  developed.  With  this  explanation  it  appears 
that  the  Sea  Plasma  process  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
an  autotherapeutic  procedure.  It  appears  that  the  vari- 
ous elements  of  sea-water  (strontium,  chlorine,  lithium,  etc.) 
are  not  the  elements  that  effect  the  cure  of  the  various  infec- 
tions ;  that  raise  the  opsonic  index  to  the  staphylococcus,  influ- 
enza bacillus,  bacillus  of  Friedlander,  coli  bacillus,  strepto- 
coccus, pneumococcus,  pseudo-diphtheria  bacillus,  etc.  It 
appears  that  they  have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the  cure, 
except  as  they  conjointly  make  up  the  specific  gravity  pro- 
ducing an  isotonic,  or  physiological  salt  solution.  It  appears 
that  a  common  sterile  salt  water  solution  of  the  proper  density 
would  be  equally  efficacious. 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  51 

The  writer  is  led  more  strongly  to  this  belief  by  a  paper 
published  by  G.  A.  Stevens,  in  the  British  Medical  Journal, 
April  5,  1913,  in  which  a  number  of  cases  of  syphilis  were 
cured  or  benefited  by  the  hypodermic  injection  of  rather  large 
doses  of  sterile  water.  We  know  that  syphilis  is  a  blood  dis- 
ease, and  by  the  process  described  above,  the  patient  is 
inoculated  with  his  own  unmodified  toxins  in  the  subdermal 
tissues.  This  is  the  fundamental  principle  upon  which  the 
cures  made  by  Autotherapy  rest,  that  has  been  iterated  and 
reiterated  by  the  writer  over  and  over  again  since  1909. 
It  appears  that  this  is  but  another  inexact  method  of  employ- 
ing the  great  principle  of  autoimmunization  that  underlies 
the  cures  made  by  Autotherapy  and  that  was  distinctly  fore- 
seen and  mentioned  in  the  author's  earlier  articles.  For 
example,  in  the  Lancet-Clinic,  November,  191 1,  the  writer 
stated  "  Now  that  the  way  is  opened  other  methods  of  adminis- 
tering the  unmodified  toxic  products  of  disease  may  be  de- 
veloped."— "  Any  method  or  system  of  therapy  that  employs 
all  of  the  unmodified  autogenous  toxic  substances  developed 
during  the  course  of  an  infection  to  cure  the  patient  comes 
under  Autotherapy." — "  Cures  made  by  applying  this  prin- 
ciple must  be  considered  as  autotherapeutic  cures."  The 
writer  has  treated  infections  successfully  by  puncturing  a 
vein  with  a  hypodermic  needle,  drawing  the  blood  into  the 
syringe  that  already  contains  a  proper  amount  of  this  sterile 
physiological  salt  solution,  and  then  withdrawing  the  needle 
till  it  is  just  beneath  the  skin  and  injecting  the  contents 
there. 

By  this  method  the  toxins  are  diluted  and  placed  in  the 
subcutaneous  tissues  and  we  avoid  the  liability  of  rupturing 
some  minute  blood  vessel.  In  Autotherapy  we  see  the  toxic 
solution  in  the  syringe  and  can  accurately  measure  it. 

The  probable  efficacy  of  a  trauma  that  results  in  an  extrava- 


52  AUTOTHERAPY 

sation  of  the  blood  into  the  subdermal  tissue  in  a  patient 
suffering  with  some  chronic  infection  is  at  once  apparent. 

From  what  has  preceded,  it  is  readily  understood  that  the 
benefit  derived  from  the  Kromeyer  Light,  Alpine  Light,  and 
other  forms  of  leukodescent  and  actinic  rays,  and  sunlight, 
is  explained  by  the  process  of  autoimmunization  that  at  times 
occurs  in  the  tissues  when  the  rays  above  mentioned  are 
employed  therapeutically. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  exact  amount  of  toxic  sub- 
stances liberated  in  the  tissues,  or  the  dose  of  the  unmodified 
toxin-complex  that  the  patient  receives  from  the  above  men- 
tioned treatment;  and  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  we  can 
expect  to  be  as  exact  in  determining  the  dose  of  toxins 
administered  as  we  are  in  giving  the  autotherapeutic  remedy, 
in  the  manner  described  by  the  writer. 

Again  there  are  other  disadvantages  in  employing  light  in 
autoimmunizing  the  patient  that  are  explained  fully  in  the 
chapter  dealing  with  the  administration  of  the  sera;  for  after 
the  first  dose  is  given  by  means  of  the  light  rays,  the  toxins 
remaining  in  the  patient's  body  that  will  be  given  in  sub- 
sequent treatments  are  less  aggressive  and  hence  less  thera- 
peutically effective  than  are  the  toxins  obtained  before  any 
treatment  was  instituted.  When  the  patient  requires  but 
one  small  dose  to  complete  the  cure  there  is  no  objection  to 
this  treatment,  but  we  never  know  when  we  begin  a  treatment 
how  many  doses  the  patient  will  require ;  and  since  the  majority 
of  patients  require  more  than  one  dose,  the  response  after  the 
first  dose  will  not  be  so  prompt,  and  the  treatment  will  have  to 
be  extended  over  a  longer  period  of  time  than  if  the  toxins 
obtained  before  any  treatment  was  given,  were  employed  in 
all  subsequent  treatments. 

It  appears  there  is  nothing  these  lights  will  do  but  that  can 
be  done  better  by  Autotherapy.    The  cost  of  the  lights  is 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  53 

considerable,  they  are  not  as  therapeutically  effective  as  is 
Autptherapy,  and  they  are  not  applicable  to  many  conditions 
that  are  promptly  relieved  by  Autotherapy. 

The  Small  Dose 

The  writer  does  not  believe  that  exception  will  be  taken  to 
the  infinitesimal  dose  when  it  is  indicated,  from  the  fact  that 
so  many  authorities  agree  that  the  infinitesimal  subdivisions 
of  matter  at  times  have  marked  effect  on  animal  life. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  and  experiments  have 
shown  that  something  like  the  trillionth  of  a  milligram  of  an 
antitoxin  will  often  prove  fatal  in  a  mouse  that  has  been 
sensitized  to  this  agent. 

We  believe  that  when  any  animal  organism  is  sensitized    / 
by  hypodermatically  injecting  a  foreign  protein  substance,  a 
subsequent  injection  will  have  to  be  materially  decreased. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  refer  briefly  to  tests  = 
that  show  how  profoundly  nitrate  of  silver  affects  some  of  the 
lower  forms  of  animal  life.  The  latter  will  not  proliferate  in 
a  solution  of  the  silver  salt  that  would  correspond  to  the  sub- 
division of  a  billionth,  trillionth  or  less  of  a  grain.  In  fact,  it 
was  found  they  would  not  proliferate,  even  in  a  silver  dish. 
From  this  it  was  inferred  that  the  action  of  silver  on  these 
organisms  was  so  great  that  it  was  not  possible  to  state  the 
subdivision  that  would  prove  effective.  It  has  been  found, 
also,  that  other  mineral  poisons  in  concentrations  correspond- 
ing to  the  trillionth  of  a  milligram,  inhibit  the  growth  of  some 
minute  forms  of  life.  In  giving  a  minute  dose  of  toxin 
referred  to  as  a  "  therapeutic  agent,"  it  is  not  understood  that 
the  total  amount  of  the  drug  used  would  amount  to  a  dose 
sufficient  to  give  a  physiological  effect.  It  might  be  well  to 
state,  to  further  emphasize  the  point  under  discussion,  that  it 


54  AUTOTHERAPY 

is  well  known  that  when  a  dose  of  strychnine  has  killed  an 
animal,  nearly,  or  quite  the  entire  amount  can  be  recovered 
from  the  urine.  The  fraction  which  cannot  be  found  might 
be  set  down  to  defective  technic;  and  unless  we  choose  to  be- 
lieve that  the  drug  has  decomposed  and  then  recomposed  in 
the  body — which  is  almost  inconceivable — we  have  to  admit 
that  the  poisonous  action  has  been  due  to  an  immaterial  or 
imponderable  dose. 

The  minimum  dose  of  Pasteur  is  well  known,  and  Koch's 
Old  Tuberculine  is  known  to  be  therapeutically  effective  when 
exceedingly  minute  doses  are  given.  The  tests  made  by  Solis 
Cohen  along  this  line  are  too  well  known  to  be  more  than 
referred  to  here,  to  say  nothing  of  the  small  doses  commonly 
given  by  the  homoeopaths  and  eclectics. 

Parenteral  Infection  and  Buccal  Immunisation 

Of  late  years  the  subject  of  parenteral  infection  has  evolu- 
tionized  some  former  views.  The  original  investigations  of  sev- 
eral Swiss  authorities  have  shown  that  even  typhoid,  cholera, 
etc.,  may  not  be  due  to  swallowed  bacteria  but  to  their  absorp- 
tion through  the  lymphatics  of  the  buccal  cavity  where  they  are 
taken  up  by  the  circulation  and  reach  the  ileum,  caecum,  ap- 
pendix, etc.,  by  elective  affinity.  This  is  in  accordance  with 
and  harmonizes  well  with  many  daily  tests  made  in  Auto- 
therapy. 

Parenteral  infection  is  mentioned  here  with  the  idea  in 
view,  not  of  entering  into  a  lengthy  discussion  but  of  focusing 
the  reader's  attention  on  the  subject  so  that  he  will  not  be  mis- 
led with  questions  regarding  the  destructive  action  of  gastric 
juices  on  the  microorganisms  and  the  oft-repeated  assertion  in 
criticism  of  Autotherapy,  that  buccal  immunization  is  ineffec- 
tive. 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  55 

Much  has  been  left  unsaid  in  regard  to  the  naturalness  of 
ingesting  pathogenic  microorganisms  that  are  in  food;  people 
are  constantly  doing  this  and  it  is  natural  that  they  should. 
No  one  knows  as  well  as  the  surgeon  or  bacteriologist,  the 
wide  distribution  and  prevalence  of  pathogenic  microorganisms. 
They  are  taken  at  every  meal  and  by  people  who  have  intra- 
nasal, gingival  and  other  local  troubles. 

Up  to  the  time  Autotherapy  was  discovered  and  in  fact 
several  years  afterwards,  immunization  by  the  mouth  was  cqq^ 
considered  to  be  more  or  less  a  product  of  the  imagination ;  that 
the  "  wish  was  father  to  the  thought,"  and  that  there  was  no 
clinical  or  scientific  basis  on  which  to  rest  the  claim  that  im- 
munity is  established  by  means  of  oral  vaccination  or  buccal 
immunization.  Autotherapy  has  so  persistently  hammered  at 
the  clinical  fact  that  autoimmunization  is  quickly  established 
when  infecting  microorganisms  or  their  toxins  in  extra- 
alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary  lesions  are  taken  by  the 
mouth,  that  the  attention  of  the  profession  was  directed  to  and 
focused  on,  the  subject.  Within  the  past  few  years  much  has 
been  written  on  the  subject  of  buccal  immunisation.  Many 
writers  have  contributed  able  articles  on  the  subject:  Dr. 
Bryan  D.  Sheedy  states  in  the  Medical  Record,  in  an  article 
under  the  title  of  "  Vaccine  Therapy,  the  Opsonic  Index,  and 
Immunity."  "  In  considering  the  functions  of  the  tonsils,  we 
must  take  into  consideration  and  study  carefully  the  teachings 
of  Goodal,  Wood,  Wright  and  others,  all  practically  agreeing 
(i)  that  the  tonsils  possess  phagocytic  properties;  (2)  that 
the  lymph  currents  from  the  mouth  and  nose  converge  toward 
the  tonsils.  Some  observers  have  noted  that  foreign  particles 
pass  with  the  lymph  current  through  the  epithelium  lining  the 
crypts  of  the  tonsils  but  that  living  bacteria  remain  in  the 
crypts.  When  we  consider  the  location  of  the  tonsils  above 
described,  generally  spoken  of  as  Waldeyer's  ring,  we  are 


56  AUTOTHERAPY 

forced  to  the  conclusion  that  this  circular  fortification  of  secret- 
ing tissues  was  not  erected  without  some  good  purpose  in  view. 
This  becomes  more  apparent  when  we  stop  to  consider  that, 
while  all  roads  at  one  time  led  to  Rome,  all  channels  whether 
over  or  under  the  mucous  membrane,  lead  toward  the  tonsil. 
Food  laden  with  bacteria  on  its  way  to  the  stomach  is  forced 
against  some  portion  of  the  tonsillar  ring  by  the  muscles  of 
deglutition.  Food  ejected  from  the  stomach  is  also  forced 
against  it  and  the  millions  of  bacteria  passing  into  or  out  of  the 
body  through  the  nose  and  mouth  pass  or  come  in  contact  with 
this  fortification.  One  investigator  pointed  out  that  bacteria 
entering  the  crypts  of  the  tonsil  remained  there,  while  their 
toxins  passed  on  into  the  blood  current  via  the  lymph  chan- 
nels, and  those  toxins  in  the  tissues,  or  by  their  presence  in 
the  circulation,  stimulated  the  opsonins  or  resisting  substances, 
thus  developing  what  we  call  immunity." 

If  we  accept  the  writings  of  these  and  many  other  well- 
known  authors,  no  further  explanation  of  the  clinical  mani- 
festation of  buccal  immunization  is  necessary ;  and  we  must 
accept  the  writer's  statement  that  he  is  able  to  autoimmunize 
his  patients  quickly  when  live  autogenous  pathogenic  micro- 
organisms or  their  toxins  are  administered  by  the  mouth,  in 
the  manner  described.  We  believe  when  the  lymphatic  tissues 
composing  the  tonsils  are  overcome  by  a  virulent  infecting 
mircroorganism  and  an  infection  of  the  tonsils  occurs,  the 
process  of  immunization  is  reversed  and  the  tonsils  now  instead 
of  becoming  the  graveyard  for  bacteria  entering  the  body, 
become  their  residence ;  and  the  microorganisms  from  their 
newly  established  abode,  pour  out  their  toxins,  or  micro- 
organisms, into  distant  parts  of  the  body  and  there  set  up 
systemic  disturbances,  such  as  pain,  increased  temperature, 
etc.,  or  rheumatism,  appendicitis,  cholecystitis,  etc. 

Within  the  past  few  years  the  teeth  have  been  considered 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  57 

the  principal  focus  of  infection  that  caused  many  infectious 
diseases.     It  was  not,  however,  until  after  Autotherapy  was 
discovered  that  these  claims  received  such  wide  clinical  verifica- 
tion.   These  localities  are  but  relatively  infrequently  the  locus 
of   infection   in   rheumatism,   appendicitis,    cholecystitis,   etc. 
In  but  one  rheumatism  case  in  forty  are  these  avenues  respon- 
sible for  the  entrance  of  the  microorganisms,  or  their  toxins, 
into  the  tissues  where  they  set  up  systemic  disturbances  men- 
tioned above.    At  least  this  is  the  percentage  the  writer  finds 
after  successfully  treating  several  hundred  cases.     It  is  per- 
haps, needless  to  state  that  when  the  initial  focus  of  infection  is 
in  the  tonsils  or  other  portions  of  the  respiratory  tract,  im- 
munity is  not  always  established  quickly  by  swallowing  the 
microorganisms,  for  these  tissues  are  involved  with  the  toxins 
of  the  disease.     Enucleation  of  the  tonsils  will  not  always 
cure  an  appendicitis  nor  rheumatism  where  the  primary  locus 
of  infection  is  through  the  tonsils.     Healthy  fixed  tissues  de- 
velop the  maximum  resistance  or  antibodies  to  a  given  toxic 
substance.     When  the  filtrate  prepared  from  the  causal  micro- 
organisms  is   injected   into  healthy   fixed   tissues,   antibodies 
specific  to  these  microorganisms  are  developed  at  once  whether 
the  initial  foci  are  in  the  tonsils  or  elsewhere.    For  this  reason 
buccal  immunization  is  not  always  successful  in  intra-aUmen- 
tary  and  intra-pulmonary  infections  but  in  chronic  disease  a 
very   small   dose   is   often   successfully   administered   in   this 
way.    Microorganisms  in  extra-alimentary  and  extra-pulmon- 
ary infections  are  not  usually  encompassed  by  mucus,  and  it 
appears  that   these   microorganisms   coming  in   contact  with 
comparatively  healthy  fixed  buccal  lymphatic  tissues,  are  de- 
stroyed by  their  phagocytic  powers.    Their  toxins  then  go  into 
solution  by  autolysis  and  are  readily  absorbed  by  the  tissues 
where  they  fulfill  their  protean  mission  of  arousing  combative 
antibodies. 


58  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  writer  has  not  attempted  to  make  any  elaborate  ex- 
planation of  the  phenomena  of  cure  resulting  when  patients 
are  treated  autotherapeutically,  for  this  comes  under  the  domain 
of  the  pathologist  and  others  who  may  be  interested.  As  a 
therapeutist  he  merely  states  clinical  facts  and  facts  are  not 
debatable. 


Capsules 

The  question  as  to  the  destructive  action  of  the  gastric  juices 
on  microorganisms  has  been  raised  from  so  many  quarters  as 
to  cause  doubts  as  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  writers  method  of 
treating  extra-alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary  infections  by 
buccal  immunization.  In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  examine 
minutely  the  experiments  of  Mangan  and  others.  The  objec- 
tion is  purely  on  theoretical  grounds,  for  several  who  have 
made  tests  with  capsules  containing  the  exudate  given  by  the 
mouth,  have  finally  given  up  this  method  of  treatment  from  the 
fact  that  experience  clearly  demonstrated  the  use  of  capsules 
to  be  unnecessary.  Based  on  the  well-known  tests  of  giving 
iodine  in  keratin  capsules — that  the  capsules  are  not  dis- 
solved by  the  gastric  juices  and  that  its  contents  are  liberated  in 
the  intestines,  many  tests  were  made  in  giving  pus  in  capsular 
form  with  the  idea  of  having  it  escape  the  gastric  juices. 
Several  of  these  capsules  broke  in  the  animal's  mouth,  but  the 
results  were  equally  as  good  as  when  the  capsules  were  swal- 
lowed. For  this  reason  the  capsules  were  finally  eliminated 
by  some  who  were  the  strongest  adherents  of  this  method  of 
administration. 

The  tests  of  Daniel  J.  Mangan,  D.V.S.,  Chief  Veterinary  of 
the  Department  of  Street  Cleaning  of  New  York  Cit}',  and 
others  in  employing  pus  sterilized  by  heat  should  be  mentioned 
in  order  that  there  may  be  understood  the  wide  range  of  ex- 


AUTOIMMUNIZATION  59 

periments  and  tests  that  have  been  made  on  human  beings  and 
animals.  Mangan  heated  the  exudate  for  thirty  minutes  at  a 
temperature  of  140°  F.  to  145°  F.  to  destroy  the  pathogenic 
bacteria,  then  filtered  it  through  sterile  filter  paper  and  injected 
the  filtrate  subcutaneously.  The  disadvantage  of  this  method 
of  treatment  is  pointed  out  by  Mangan  in  an  article  under  the 
title  of  "  Autotherapy,"  published  in  the  American  Veterinary 
Review  of  July,  1912.  This  was  republished  in  several  Euro- 
pean Veterinary  medical  papers.  While  many  brilliant  cures 
have  been  recorded  by  this  method  of  treatment,  yet  on  the 
whole  it  is  not  considered  by  Mangan  as  satisfactory  as  the 
method  of  sterilization  by  filtering  either  through  a  Pasteur- 
Chamberland,  or  the  Berkefeld  filter.  For  by  heating  the  exu- 
date some  of  the  delicate  enzymes  and  ferments  which  cor- 
respond to  each  bacterial  toxin  (against  which  the  tissues 
react  in  a  curative  manner)  are  destroyed.  Some  of  the 
albuminous  constituents  of  the  exudate  are  altered  to  a  form 
where  they  are  not  available  for  therapeutic  purposes.  There- 
fore, the  heated  exudate  does  not  contain  all  of  the  unmodi- 
fied toxic  substances  against  which  the  tissues  react  in  a 
curative  manner,  as  when  a  spontaneous  cure  of  an  infec- 
tious disease  occurs.  In  hastening  the  spontaneous  cure  by 
applying  the  autotherapeutic  principle,  we  employ  the  unmodi- 
fied toxic  substances  which  Nature  utilizes  when  the  spon- 
taneous cure  of  infectious  disease  occurs.  In  many  acute 
infections,  however,  where  the  filter  is  not  available,  and  the 
exudate  is  rich  in  aggressins,  it  may  be  employed  with  a  rea- 
sonable assurance  that  the  treatment  will  do  good.  The  writer 
is  thinking  particularly  here  of  pneumonia,  acute  tonsilitis,  or 
other  severe  acute  infections.  The  toxins  are  said  to  be 
thermo-stable. 

In  extra-alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary  infections,  that  is 
to  say,  in  infections  in  no  way  connected  with  the  alimentary 


6o  AUTOTHERAPY 

tract  or  the  respiratory  system,  the  dependable  method  of 
buccal  immunization  may  be  resorted  to  with  confidence.  It 
may  be  well  to  mention  here  if  only  for  the  purpose  of  elimi- 
nating it,  the  method  of  preparing  the  toxins  for  hypodermic 
injections  by  centrifugalizing  the  exudate.  In  using  this 
method  Mangan  states,  "  We  are  not  certain  that  the  fluid 
injected  is  sterile,  and  we  therefore  run  the  risk  of  infection 
at  the  point  of  the  needle  puncture."  While  infection  of  this 
kind  has  never  been  severe  in  the  writer's  practice,  it  is  not 
advisable  to  court  infection  in  this  manner  when  there  are 
other  means  at  hand  that  will  obviate  all  danger  in  this  direc- 
tion, namely,  as  properly  filtering  the  exudate  in  the  manner 
described. 

It  has  been  taught  and  perhaps  is  still  that  the  young  infant 
can  be  fatally  infected  by  swallowing  pathogenic  micro- 
organisms. For  example, — from  the  nipple,  because  as  yet  its 
defenses  are  not  organized.  It  is  not  the  writer's  custom  to 
treat  nursing  infants  by  means  of  Autotherapy,  although  he 
has  treated  a  number  of  babies  successfully  by  injecting  the 
filtrate  of  a  dilution  of  the  pathogenic  exudate  hypodermati- 
cally. 

In  the  chapter  under  the  title  of  "  Autogalactotherapy,"  is 
pointed  out  a  method  of  immunizing  the  mother  to  the  micro- 
organisms active  in  the  infant;  the  antitoxins  developed  by 
the  mother  to  the  infant's  infecting  microorganisms  passing  to 
the  child  with  the  mother's  milk,  tend  to  immunize  the  child 
by  passive  immunity. 


CHAPTER  V 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DUNCAN  AUTOTHERA- 
PEUTIC  APPARATUS 

In  order  that  there  may  be  a  standard  simple  apparatus 
available,  and  little  confusion  in  its  selection,  the  writer  de- 
cided long  ago  to  furnish  the  apparatus  to  physicians  at  their 
request.  This  apparatus  has  been  selected  for  convenience  and 
cheapness,  also  for  the  simple  means  it  offers  of  sterilization. 

There  are  only  two  filters  at  present  on  the  market,  which  give 
an  absolutely  sterile  filtrate.  One  is  the  Berkefeld  Filter,*  the 
medium  of  which  is  infusorial  earth  found  in  the  well-known 
Fossil  mines,  of  Hanover,  Germany.  The  peculiar  properties 
and  microscopic  construction  of  this  earth  (composed  as  it  is  of 
silicious  skeletons  of  diatoms)  renders  it  pecuHarly  suitable  for 
the  purpose  of  filtrations.  The  form  of  these  minute  skeletons 
(ladder-like  and  interlacing)  gives  an  enormous  number  of 
exceedingly  small  pores,  thus  affording  a  free  passage  for  the 
liquid  and  at  the  same  time  stopping  that  of  the  minutest  sus- 
pended organic  or  inorganic  matter.  The  great  difficulty  to 
be  overcome  finally  has  been  the  formation  of  a  solid  substance 
of  this  deposit  thoroughly  annealed  together.  It  will  positively 
give  germ-proof  filtrates ;  can  be  easily  cleansed  and  sterilized 
and  kept  in  a  state  of  germ-proof  efficiency  and  is  used  in 
chemical  and  biological  laboratories  everywhere.  It  is  en- 
dorsed by  Dr.  George  M.  Sternburg,  former  surgeon  of  the 
United  States  Army;  Professor  M.  Gruber,  of  the  Hygienic 
Institute  of  the  University  of  Budapest;  Professor  Guido  Tiz- 

*The  description  of  the  Berkefeld  Filter  is  taken  from  the  manu- 
facturer's catalogue. 

6£ 


62  AUTOTHERAPY 

zoni,  of  the  Royal  University  of  Bologna ;  by  Surgeon  General 
Dr.  Plagge,  of  the  Medical  Division  of  the  Prussian  War  De- 
partment, and  many*  others  of  world-wide  reputation. 

The  other  filter  is  the  Chamberland-Pasteur  Filter.  This 
is  composed  of  unglazed  porcelain.  Endorsement  of  this  filter 
by  the  author  is  unnecessary,  as  it  is  also  a  standard  filter 
throughout  the  world. 

The  reasons  the  Pasteur  filter  was  not  selected  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  Berkefeld  are  as  follows:  First,  the  Pasteur  is 
far  more  complicated  and  is  not  as  convenient  for  the  aver- 
age practitioner  to  manipulate.  Second,  it  takes  a  much  longer 
time  for  the  filtrate  to  pass. 

The  special  apparatus  has  been  designed  or  selected  for  the 
convenience  of  the  practicing  physician  either  at  the  bedside 
or  in  the  office. 

In  the  clinical  or  bedside  apparatus  the  air  pressure  forces 
the  solution  of  toxin-complex  through  the  porcelain  part.  This 
is  accomplished  by  means  of  an  atomizer  bulb  or  bicycle 
pump  which  forces  the  air  through  a  perforated  stopper  that 
fits  into  the  top  of  the  cylinder-shaped  filter.  There  is  a 
receiving  flask  with  a  broad  base  that  sets  under  the  filter 
which  allows  the  apparatus  to  stand  alone.  This  is  the  sim- 
plest and  cheapest  apparatus,  and  is  known  as  the  "  Duncan 
Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  No.  i."     (See  Illustration.) 

The  apparatus  designed  for  office  use  does  not  have  the 
atomizer  bulb,  but  instead  has  a  part  called  a  siphon  that 
screws  on  to  the  faucet.  When  the  water  is  turned  on,  a 
suction  of  about  twelve  pounds  to  the  square  inch  is  created 
in  the  suction  or  receiving  flask  below,  tending  to  suck  or  draw 
the  toxin-complex  through  the  pores  of  the  filter,  thereby 
straining  out  the  microorganisms.  This  is  known  as  "  Duncan 
Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  No.  2."  This  apparatus  may  have 
standard  or  an  upright  that  gives  it  stability,  and  allows  it  to 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS       63 

stand  upright.  In  No,  2  apparatus  when  the  faucet  is  turned 
on  and  the  suction  started,  the  physician  may  leave  it,  return- 
ing in  ten  minutes  he  finds  the  filtrate  ready  for  use.  The 
filtrate  of  exudate  is  usually  colorless  and  perfectly  trans- 
parent. If  proper  care  is  exercised  during  the  process  of 
filtration  the  filtrate  is  perfectly  sterile,  this  is  minus  patho- 
genic microorganisms.  After  using,  the  filter  cylinder  should 
be  rinsed  under  a  running  faucet,  and  the  accumulated  matter 
brushed  off  lightly  with  a  sponge  or  soft  brush.  At  each 
cleansing  a  very  thin  layer  of  the  surface  material  itself  is 
brushed  off",  together  with  the  accumulated  material,  and  there- 
by one  regains  a  new  filter  surface.  It  should  then  be  boiled 
for  twenty  minutes.  At  least  an  ounce  of  distilled  water 
should  always  be  run  through  the  filter  before  it  is  used  for 
the  toxins  to  flush  out  the  pores.  Before  a  new  filter  is  put  in 
use,  it  should  have  water  run  through  it,  for  it  will  run  cloudy 
for  a  few  minutes.  The  filters  are  so  constructed  that  all 
parts  are  detachable  to  admit  a  thorough  cleansing  and  steril- 
izing. There  is  no  place  where  dirt  can  lodge.  The  toxins  are 
not  altered  or  changed  by  filtration.  If  it  is  deemed  advisable 
a  new  porcelain  part  may  be  purchased  for  each  patient,  as 
the  cost  is  but  nominal.  A  filter  will  last  for  a  hundred  or 
more  filtrations  if  proper  attention  is  given  it.  A  number 
of  extra  washers  should  be  purchased  and  be  on  hand. 

Apparatus  Necessary  for  Treating  Patients  by  the 
Wholesale  Autotherapeutically 

The  apparatus  given  below  is  convenient  for  treating  twenty 
hospital  patients. 

Filters 

( I )  Either  a  Berkef eld  or  Pasteur  filter  should  be  employed 
although  any  other  filter  that  can  be  relied  on  to  give  an  abso- 


64  AUTOTHERAPY 

lutely  sterile  filtrate  could  be  used.  Up  to  the  present  time 
there  is  no  other  filter  on  the  market  that  meets  these  specifica- 
tions. 

Two  forms  of  apparatus  are  suggested — one  to  meet  the 
conditions  of  running  water  and  one  for  use  where  it  is  im- 
possible to  obtain  it.  For  this  reason  both  the  No.  i  and  No. 
2  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  should  be  provided. 
The  porcelain  part  of  the  filter  stone  being  interchangeable 
there  will  be  an  extra  filter  stone  that  may  be  used  when  either 
apparatus  is  employed. 

The  No.  2  apparatus  is  suitable  for  base  hospitals  where 
there  is  running  water.  The  siphon  is  screwed  on  the  faucet 
and  with  the  water  turned  on,  the  suction  thus  created,  tends 
to  draw  the  soluble  toxins  through  the  filter  candle  or  stone. 
No.  I  apparatus  is  adapted  for  field  hospital  service — the 
toxins  here  are  forced  through  the  filter  by  air  pressure  on 
top  of  this  mixture  of  exudate  and  water.  To  accomplish  this 
the  No.  I  apparatus  is  provided  with  either  an  atomizer  bulb 
or  bicycle  pump.  Both  the  suction  in  No.  2  apparatus  and  the 
air  pressure  in  No.  i  are  for  the  purpose  of  hurrying  the 
filtration.  Allowing  the  toxins  to  pass  through  the  filter  by 
gravity  alone  consumes  too  much  time,  especially  where  the 
mucus  is  thick  as  it  often  is  in  respiratory  infections.  There 
are  advantages  in  either  form  of  suction  flask  illustrated. — 
the  flask  having  a  broad  base  allows  the  filter  to  stand  alone 
without  other  support.  The  test-tube  with  the  side  neck  is 
not  so  easily  broken  and  lends  itself  more  readily  to  steriliza- 
tion as  it  lays  flat  in  the  sterilizer,  occupying  less  space,  but 
when  this  is  employed  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  stand  with  a 
clamp  to  support  it.  An  additional  two  feet  of  pressure  tubing 
should  be  carried  for  emergency. 


DUNCAN  AUTOTUERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS        65 

Bottles 

(2)  Twenty- four  4-ounce  wide  mouth  bottles  for  preparing 
the  toxins  from  dressings  should  be  provided.  These  should 
have  ground  glass  stoppers  to  permit  of  easy  sterilization. 
These  are  known  as  the  exudate  bottles. 

(3)  Twenty  2-ounce  wide  mouth  bottles,  with  ground  glass 
stoppers,  for  the  filtrate.  These  are  known  as  the  filtrate 
bottles. 

Syringe 

(4)  One  hypodermic  syringe,  glass  cylinder  and  metal 
plunger  of  5  c.c.  capacity — and  one  dozen  hypodermic  needles 
No.  25 — and  ^"  in  length.  Two  gold,  platinum  or  iridium 
needles  for  each  hospital,  to  be  kept  in  a  solution  of  spirits  to 
which  is  added  a  little  lysol. 

Labels 

(5)  Labels  of  sufficient  size  should  be  used  with  printed 
lines  for  patient's  name,  date,  source  of  exudate,  dose  admin- 
istered, etc. 

Sterilizer 

(6)  One  sterilizer  capable  of  holding  the  apparatus  above 
enumerated.  As  a  sterilizer  is  part  of  the  equipment  of  all 
hospitals,  it  may  seem  unnecessary  to  add  this  item  to  an 
autotherapeutic  outfit,  but  as  the  sterilizer  is  employed  in 
operating  rooms  it  is  deemed  advisable  not  to  use  the  operat- 
ing sterilizer  as  this  would  necessitate  bringing  pus  into  the 
operating  room — the  thing  to  be  strictly  avoided,  and  for  this 
reason  a  small  sterilizer  should  be  provided  with  this  appa- 
ratus. The  bottles  should  be  arranged  in  two  racks — one  for 
the  exudate  bottles  and  one  for  the  bottles  that  are  used  for 
the  sterile  filtrate. 


66  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  sterilizer  should  be  des-gned  so  that  it  is  capable  of 
containing  the  whole  apparatus  conveniently  packed,  for  the 
purpose  of  easy  transportation.  The  top  should  be  fitted  with 
hinges  and  a  catch  that  will  hold  it  securely  when  shut.  There 
should  also  be  provided  appropriate  handles  to  facilitate  easy 
transportation. 

In  setting  up  the  apparatus  all  parts  should  be  boiled  for 
at  least  twenty  minutes — the  parts  of  the  apparatus  assembled — 
bottles  labeled  and  syringe  made  ready.  The  care  and  steriliza- 
tion of  the  filter  is  given  in  a  preceding  paragraph. 

Apparatus  for  Buccal  Immunisation 

The  four-ounce  bottles  above  mentioned  may  be  employed 
for  buccal  immunization.  For  the  purpose  of  preserving  the 
toxins  for  daily  use,  lo  drops  of  pus  or  the  equivalent  of  this 
amount  that  has  soaked  into  the  dressings,  are  added  to  two 
ounces  of  alcohol. — The  usual  dose  is  ten  drops  of  the  de- 
canted fluid  in  an  ounce  of  water,  hourly,  for  ten  doses. 

Six  extra  washers  should  be  carried  for  each  filter. 

The  Hypodermic  Syringe 

The  syringes  employed  for  autotherapeutic  purposes  are  of 
two  kinds.  A  brief  discussion  of  hypodermic  syringes  in 
general  may  not  be  out  of  place,  for  it  is  intended  by  so  doing 
to  give  the  reader  a  clear  understanding  of  the  mechanics  that 
enter  into  the  construction  of  the  syringes.  Then  he  can 
better  understand  why  a  certain  syringe  has  been  selected  for 
a  certain  use  and  why  two  different  kinds  are  recommended. 

The  syringe  for  injecting  the  toxins  must  necessarily  be 
perfect  so  far  as  the  fitting  of  the  plunger  into  the  cylinder 
is  concerned,  and  the  one  that  will  wear  the  longest  time  with- 
out leaking,  is  of  course  the  best. 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS        dy 

Now  there  are  four  kinds  of  standard  syringes  on  the 
market  that  might  be  used  but  the  wearing  capacity  of  each 
is  not  the  same.  First,  there  is  one  with  a  glass  cylinder  and 
glass  plunger ;  second,  a  metal  cylinder  and  metal  plunger ; 
third,  a  glass  cylinder  and  metal  plunger;  fourth,  a  glass 
cylinder  and  packed  plunger.  Now  it  is  a  well-known  prin- 
ciple in  mechanics  that  two  parts  of  the  same  substance  do  not 
wear  well  together  under  friction,  as  glass  on  glass,  or  metal 
on  the  same  kind  of  metal.  But  glass  on  metal  that  is  not  too 
hard  wears  better  practically  than  any  other  substances  in  a 
syringe.  A  well-made  syringe  with  a  glass  cylinder  and  metal 
plunger  will  often  not  leak  a  drop  after  long  usage,  and  is 
strongly  recommended.  If  any  viscid  substance  like  blood  or 
blister-serum  is  used  it  will  often  cause  the  plunger  to  stick, 
so  that  it  is  impossible  to  move  it  without  breaking  the  glass 
cylinder. 

For  this  reason  a  second  syringe  is  recommended  for  blood 
and  blister-serum,  ascites  fluid,  spinal  fluid,  etc.  The  second 
syringe  should  have  a  plunger  that  is  not  so  close  fitting.  To 
suit  these  specifications,  the  plunger  should  be  wound  with 
some  softer  material,  as  asbestos  or  some  other  soft  material. 
It  may  have  to  be  packed  often  but  it  is  better  to  pack  the 
plunger  of  a  cheap  syringe  than  to  ruin  an  expensive  one. 
An  old  glass  on  glass  or  metal  on  metal  syringe  will  do  for 
this  purpose.  These  serums  are  usually  given  more  frequently 
than  the  filtered  exudate. 

The  two  syringes  recommended  are,  first,  one  with  a  glass 
cylinder  and  metal  plunger  holding  5  c.c.  Second,  one  with  a 
glass  cylinder  and  an  asbestos  wound,  or  loose  fitting  plunger, 
holding  10  c.c.  for  denser  substances.  After  giving  many 
thousands  of  hypodermic  injections,  with  practically  no  ab- 
scess formation,  the  writer  believes  he  can  speak  with  authority 
on  the  subject  (the  writer  uses  a  Yz    needle  of  No.  25  bore.) 


6^/  AUTOTHERAPY 

/ 

Technic  of  Giving  a  Hypodermic  Injection 

Draw  into  the  syringe  carbolic  acid  95  per  cent.,  then 
sterile  water  twice,  then  alcohol  95  per  cent.,  then  sterile 
water  twice,  and  eventually  the  toxins.  Cover  about  a  square 
inch  of  the  tissues  where  the  needle  is  to  enter,  with  iodine, 
allowing  it  to  dry ;  then  grasp  or  pinch  up  the  skin  into  a  fold 
with  the  thumb  and  forefinger  of  the  left  hand  at  the  edge  of 
the  iodine  and  hold  it.  Grasp  the  barrel  of  the  syringe  with 
the  right  hand,  and  holding  the  needle  parallel  to  the  body  skin 
surface,  plunge  the  needle  into  the  elevated  fold  of  skin  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  forefinger.  When  the  point  is  just  under 
the  skin  withdraw  the  plunger  slowly  to  be  sure  a  blood  vessel 
is  not  punctured,  then  press  the  plunger  slowly  with  the  thumb 
of  the  right  hand.  After  the  contents  of  the  cylinder  have 
been  emptied  under  the  skin,  withdraw  the  needle  quickly  and 
rub  the  part  over  the  site  of  the  injection  firmly  through  a 
piece  of  sterile  bandage,  till  the  substance  injected  is  well 
dispersed  through  the  adjacent  tissues.  If  this  is  not  done  a 
lump  will  be  formed  under  the  skin  that  will  last  for  several 
days  or  weeks  before  it  is  absorbed,  and  at  times  be  tender 
during  this  period.  Then  seal  the  point  of  injection  with  col- 
lodion on  a  small  glass  rod.  The  writer  employs  a  tooth- 
pick as  a  cotton  carrier  to  apply  iodine  to  the  surface.  If  an 
abscess  follows  an  injection  through  carelessness  the  method 
of  treating  this  is  extremely  simple  and  efficacious.  Freeze 
the  parts  with  ethylchloride  solution  and  with  a  hypodermic 
needle  of  larger  bore,  aspirate  a  few  drops  of  pus  and  give  it 
to  the  patient  in  a  little  water  to  drink  at  one  dose.  In  my 
hands  these  abscesses  seldom  occur;  if  one  should  occur,  the 
above  treatment  will  cause  it  to  disappear  rapidly,  for  within 
twenty-four  hours  after  it  is  given  all  symptoms  will  usually 
subside  and  nothing  more  will  be  heard  of  it. 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS        69 

The  Filtrate 

The  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  in  obtaining  the  exu- 
date, to  be  sure  that  no  foreign  microorganisms  contaminate 
it;  otherwise  its  therapeutic  effect  will  be  lessened  or  an- 
nulled. All  specimens  should  be  collected  in  a  sterile  bottle 
with  a  sterile  stopper.  Extra  precaution  should  be  taken  in 
collecting  the  blood,  blister-serum,  and  spinal  and  ascites  fluids, 
etc.,  for  the  reason  that  they  are  most  excellent  culture  media, 
and  any  slip  in  the  technic  may  cause  foreign  microorganisms 
to  multiply  in  sufficient  numbers  to  destroy  its  therapeutic 
value,  and  even  render  the  toxins  dangerous ;  however,  it  is 
well  known  that  comparatively  healthy  tissues  can  take  care  of 
a  certain  number  of  pathogenic  microorganisms.  If  there  is 
doubt  in  the  mind  of  the  physician  that  any  filter  does  not  give 
a  sterile  filtrate,  a  culture  of  the  filtrate  should  be  prepared, 
and  if  the  filter  candle  is  found  defective  it  should  be  destroyed. 

It  is  always  advisable  to  prepare  at  least-lialf  aa.jOunce.x)f 
the  filtrate  before  an  injection  is  given.  This  will  obviously 
last  a  long  time;  the  reason  for  this  step  is  that  the  first 
injection  develops  antibacterial  substances  in  the  tissues,  these 
rendering  the  microorganisms  remaining  in  the  patient's  body 
less  aggressive,  or  virulent.  As  stated  elsewhere,  "  The  more 
virulent  the  infecting  microorganisms,  the  more  therapeu- 
tically effective  the  toxins."  A  filtrate  made  after  the  first 
injection  is  given  is  usually  less  potent,  or  has  less  thera- 
peutic effect,  than  the  one  prepared  before  any  injection  is 
given;  although  it  still  tends  to  be  potent  and  curative. 

The  freshly  prepared  filtrate  is  usually  traasparent,  colorr    r 
less,  odorless  and  witbotrt  taste.    When  it  is  allowed  to  stand    I 
for  twenty-four  hours,  there  is  usually  a  faint  cloudiness  or    1 
precipitate  diffused  throughout  the  solution.     A  filtrate  that    P 
does  not  have  this  cloudiness  is  usually  of  less  therapeutic     ! 


70  AUTOTHERAPY 

value  as  compared  with  a  filtrate  in  which  it  appears;  there- 
fore a  filtrate  in  which  this  cloudiness  is  present  is  not  neces- 
sarily to  be  condemned,  as  the  novice  in  Autotherapy  might 
infer,  but  rather  such  turbidity  should  be  considered  desir- 
able. After  several  days  the  precipitate  will  often  settle 
to  the  bottom  and  when  the  top  clear  fluid  is  decanted,  and 
the  fluid  near  the  bottom,  rich  in  this  precipitate,  is  injected, 
marked  local  and  constitutional  reactions  follow,  and  in  acute 
diseases  there  will  usually  be  a  quick  amelioration  of  symp- 
toms. It  is  usually  not  necessary  to  do  this  save  occasionally 
in  chronic  cases. 

A  method  that  is  at  times  found  useful  in  trfatitjg  rhmtur 
infe^ctJQOS  is  to  make  several  ounces  of  the  filtrate.  After  this 
has  stood  for  several  days  and  there  is  a  diffused  precipitate 
throughout  the  solution,  the  fluid  contents  of  the  filtrate  are 
evaporated  on  a  water-bath  almost  to  dryness ;  then  to  the 
precipitate,  distilled  water  is  added  and  the  contents  thor- 
oughly agitated.  This  is  employed  hypodermatically  in  treat- 
ing the  patient.  This  precipitate  may  be  obtained  by  centri- 
fugalization. 

In.aputejnfecjums  begin  the  injections  with  as  large  a  dose 
as  is  expedient  or  as  the  experience  of  the  physician  leads  him 
to  believe  the  patient  will  safely  stand.  The  formulas  given 
are  well  within  safe  limits,  and  the  physician  inexperienced  in 
autotherapeutic  methods  should  begin  with  these ;  then  if 
sufficient  reactions  or  improvement  are  not  obtained  in  acute 
infections,  increase  the  dose  slightly  at  each  injection.  At 
times  during  the  treatment  of  clyonic  cases,  when  the  dose  has 
not  been  properly  regulated,  the  patient  will  cease  to  improve. 
When  this  occurs  small  doses  of  calomel  will  often  cause  the 
patient  to  respond  to  the  toxins  quickly.  When  the  dose  is  in 
excess  of  the  amount  the  patient  requires  the  symptoms  are 
temporarily  aggravated.    Under  these  conditions  withhold  the 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS        71 

medication  and  decrease  the  dose  materially.  The  writer  has 
often  been  compelled  to  employ  from  the  sixth  to  the  twelfth 
and  higher  centesimal  dilutions.  In  many  chronic  diseases  it  is 
often  necessary  to  do  this,  to  control  properly  the  symptoms. 
The  subject  of  withholding  the  remedy  when  a  severe  ag- 
gravation occurs  is  discussed  in  a  succeeding  paragraph. 

Immediately  following  the  injection  there  is  a  stinging  sen- 
sation ;  this  is  but  transient,  seldom  lasting  more  than  a  minute 
or  two.  If  the  toxins  happen  to  be  injected  near  a  cutaneous 
nerve,  the  stinging  momentary  pain  will  be  intensified.  The 
patient  is  conscious  that  something  unusual  has  entered  the 
tissues,  and  is  inclined  to  become  alarmed  unless  he  has  been 
warned  previously  that  the  pain  is  but  transient. 

Occasionally  when  the  toxins  are  very  virulent,  as  in  a 
rapidly  advancing  acute  disease,  the  patient  feels  a  peculiar 
sensation  travel  from  the  point  of  the  injection  to  the  infected 
area  and  when  this  occurs  the  relief  is  usually  strikingly  quick. 
Keep  such  toxins,  as  they  are  most  valuable;  that  is,  do  not 
make  another  filtrate  for  this  patient,  unless  it  is  absolutely 
necessary,  as  they  tend  to  be  curative  in  even  a  more  diluted 
form,  being  rich  in  aggressins. 

The  reaction  differs  somewhat  in  each  individual  and  in  each 
disease.  It  is  not  dangerous  where  the  formulas  are  closely 
followed,  or  no  more  dangerous  than  the  vaccines  and  the  sera 
now  in  daily  use — for  example  the  reactions  in  endometritis 
are  usually  greater  than  the  reactions  in  acute  bronchitis.  The 
reactions  in  some  cases  of  endometritis  are  greater  than  the 
reactions  of  some  other  similar  cases,  or  greater  in  the  same 
individual  than  they  would  be  if  given  at  another  stage  of  the 
infection. 

The  reactions  to  the  injected  toxins  are  local  and  constitu- 
tional. If  more  of  the  toxins  are  injected  than  the  local  tis- 
sues can  take  care  of,  a  general  manifested  systemic  reaction 


72  AUTOTHERAPY 

ensues.  In  acute  infections  the  writer  usually  prefers  to 
gradually  increase  the  dose  till  a  sxnall  rf.rognizahlc  conslitUr 
tional  reaction  takes  place;  this  is  manifested  by  a  slight 
chill.  As  long  as  the^gjiefiX.is.improviiiigt  do  not  give-^n- 
other  dose;  especially  is  this  the  case  in  chronic  infections. 
Wait  till  the  amelioration  has  about  ceased  before  a  subse- 
quent injection  is  given ;  we  learn  this  period  after  giving  two 
or  three  injections.  Treat  the  patient  according  to  his  symp- 
toms and  not  the  disease.  From  three  to  twelve  hours  after 
the  injection,  there  is  a  spreading  area  of  cutaneous  redness 
around  the  point  of  needle  puncture,  and  the  arm  is  inclir.cd  to 
become  somewhat  stiff  and  tender  to  the  touch.  This  is  known 
as  the  logalreaclion.  The  inflammation  is  not  deep-seated  and 
a  slight  superficial  brush  on  the  arm  is  more  painful  than  a  firm 
pressure.  Within  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours  the  patient  will 
feel  listless  or  drowsy,  with  a  slight  fullness  or  flush  of  the 
face ;  encourage  him  to  rest  quietly  during  this  stage  of  the  re- 
actions, especially  if  the  infection  is  extensive.  There  may  be 
a  temperature  of  99°  F.,  or  even  i(X)°  F.  Then  the  local  reac- 
tion will  begin  to  recede.  The  constitutional  reaction  is  often 
manifested  by  a  slight  chill.  This  usually  appears  from  two  to 
twelve  hours  after  the  injection.  It  seldom  lasts  more  than  a 
few  minutes.  Cau^iop :  if  it  lasts  longer,  increase  the  interval 
between  the  doses.  The  sooner  the  constitutional  reaction  or 
the  chill  begins  after  the  injection,  the  greater  it  will  be;  do 
not  increase  the  dose  when  there  has  been  a  strong  constitu- 
tional reaction  following  the  last  injection.  The  writer  has 
never  had  a  fatality  follow  these  injections,  so  in  stating 
"  the  greater  the  constitutional  reaction,  the  quicker  will  be 
the  response  and  cure,"  he  does  not  mean  to  say  a  fatal  dose 
cannot  be  given,  for  he  believes  it  can.  The  reactions  a  patient 
can  develop  to  a  toxic  substance  are  limited,  so  we  should 
be  careful  not  to  exceed  this  limit;  but  the  range  of  dose  that 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS    NO.  I. 


For  use  at  the  bed-side  or  in  the  field. 

I. — Glass  Cylinder  or  of  nickeled  brass. 

2. — Rubber  Stopper. 

3. — The  filter  itself. 

4. — Receptacle  for  filtrate. 

5. — Rubber  Stopper  for  same. 

6    &    7. — Frame   for  holding  apparatus  upright. 

8,  9,  10  &  II. — Filter  Clamp. 

12. — Elbow,  made  either  of  nickeled  brass  or  glass. 
13. — Atomizer  bulb  or  bicycle  pump. 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS        7z 

will  act  in  a  therapeutic  manner  is  very  great.  For  this  rea- 
son we  should  begin  well  within  safe  limits,  and  start  with 
what  experience  teaches  us  is  a  safe  dose.  A  wide  clinical 
experience  has  proved  that  the  toxins  are  not  very  toxic,  and 
if  the  formulas  given  are  closely  followed,  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  anxiety. 

Tell  the  patient  the  greater  the  reaction  the  quicker  will  be 
the  cure;  that  a  local  and  some  constitutional  reaction  is  nec- 
essary. This  warning  will  allay  his  fears,  and  he  will  seldom 
object  when  the  arm  becomes  tender  and  somewhat  painful. 
Morphine  will  tend  to  counteract  a  severe  constitutional 
reaction. 

At  times  the  pain  in  the  affected  area  will  be  temporarily 
worse,  but  in  acute  infections  it  usually  subsides  within  twelve 
to  twenty-four  hours  and  often  within  two  hours.  We  are 
thinking  of  acute  appendicitis,  cholecystitis,  mastoiditis,  etc. ; 
rarely,  however,  do  the  severe  symptoms  of  the  disease  last 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  first  well  regulated  injection. 

In  chronic  conditions  the  patient  may  not  improve  till  after 
two  or  more  days.  When  this  is  the  case  wait  till  the  im- 
provement ceases,  then  give  a  smaller  dose  at  the  next  injec- 
tion. At  times  the  first  dose  appears  to  sensitize  the  patient, 
then  the  second  dose  acts  promptly. 

As  a  general  rule  it  may  be  stated  that  when  there  is  littje 
or  no  drainage,  the  injection  wUi-have  te  be  given  more  fre- 
quently than  when  there  is  good  drainage.  It  is  necessary  if 
the  best  results  are  to  follow,  to  have  free  drainage. 

The  time  when  another  injection  should  be  given  depends- 
on^the  patient  alone ;  there  are  no  set  rules  that  will  fit  all. 
cases.  Generally  speaking,  it  is  advisable  to  keep  the  bowels  I 
open  with  enemas  or  calomel,  and  keep  the  patient  on  a  strong  1 
nourishing  diet  during  the  reactive  period.  If  the  infection  is  \ 
in  a  locality  richly  supplied  with  blood,  the  relief  of  pain  is 


74  AUTOTHERAPY 

often  astonishingly  quick,  as  in  the  female  pelvis,  lungs,  ap- 
pendix, etc.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  antibodies  in  the 
blood  stream  are  brought  freely  to  the  infected  area. 

If  the^exudate  and  water  be  allowed  to  stand  longer  than 
twenty^four  hours  before  filtering,  the  mjxtUK  becomes  ex- 
ceedingly^ toxic ;  and  both  reactions  will  be  intensified  without 
added  therapeutic  effect.  Care  should  be  taken  that  this  does 
not  occur.  In  bronchitis  we  may  often  filter  the  fresh  un- 
diluted sputum  without  allowing  it  to  stand,  and  inject  the 
filtrate  with  most  excellent  results.  Somewhat  larger  doses 
may  be  given  in  this.  We  are  not  always  able  to  obtain 
sufficiently  large  quantities  of  sputum  to  do  this.  The 
formula  given  under  each  infection  in  the  text  should  be  our 
guide  in  daily  prescribing.  The  size  of  the  local  reaction,  or 
local  area  of  redness,  varies  from  an  inch  to  eight  or  more 
inches  in  diameter.  When  given  over  the  biceps  muscle  it 
frequently  extends  almost  around  the  arm  and  down  past  the 
elbow.  Especially  is  this  true  in  purulent  endocarditis,  and  in 
rheumatism.  The  writer  has  never  to  his  knowledge,  ap- 
proached the  danger  line  in  giving  these  toxins,  but  in  some 
cases  he  would  have  been  frightened  at  the  extensive  area  of 
reactive  inflammation,  and  would  have  thought  of  an  extending 
cellulitis,  had  he  not  known  it  simply  as  the  reaction.  Usu- 
ally the  best  ^nd  qmckest  results -JqIIqw  a  large  local  and 
mild  ^constitutional  reaction. 

Nicotine  inhibits  the  action  of  the  toxins  in  respiratory  in- 
fections. A  patient  who  smokes  even  mildly  may  not  be 
treated  successfully.  Inhibit  smoking  instantly  and  resort  to 
active  elimination  for  several  days  before  the  mucus  is  ob- 
tained for  therapeutic  purposes. 

The  circulation  should  be  increased  in  fistulas  if  the  best 
results  are  to  be  obtained.  This  may  be  done  preferably  by 
a  curettage  or  escharotics. 


DUNCAN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  APPARATUS        75 

The  great  therapeutic  power  of  the  filtrate  can  only  be 
appreciated  by  those  who  use  it.  It  is  not  a  "  cure  all  "  and  it 
is  not  intended  to  convey  the  impression  that  it  should  be  used 
to  the  exclusion  of  remedial  agents,  and  therapeutic  measures 
of  known  value. 

The  question  of  acidity  or  alkalinity  of  the  filtrate  has  been 
raised  but  as  this  appears  to  be  more  of  an  academic  question 
than  one  that  concerns  the  clinician  and  leads  to  theorizing, 
the  writer  has  made  no  scientific  investigation  into  the  sub- 
ject; but  a  number  of  filtrates  that  were  examined,  showed 
them  to  be  either  neutral  or  slightly  acid. 

The  inJ£ctions  may_bejiiadejn:i,ucb.  less  painful  if . chemically 
pure  sodium  chloride  be  added  to  the  filtrate  in  strength  suf- 
ficient to  make  it  an  isotonic  splytion, .  or  near  the  specific 
gravity,,  of  the  blood.  Freezing  the  parts  with  ethylchloride 
will  assist  in  lessening  the  pain  that  accompanies  the  injection. 

The  author  has  found  it  unsatisfactory  both  to  the  student 
of  Autotherapy  and  to  himself  to  allow  others  to  handle  his 
apparatus.  For  it  has  been  found  that  manufacturers  are 
inclined  to  make  parts  that  break  easily,  for  the  purpose  of 
"making  business  "  in  supplying  them,  and  are  loth  to  change 
the  design  when  improvements  in  it  have  been  made.  To 
obviate  these  conditions  and  for  the  convenience  of  the  pur- 
chaser the  author  has  decided  to  supply  the  apparatus  him- 
self to  physicians  desiring  it,  thus  insuring  to  the  purchaser 
unbreakable  parts  as  far  as  possible,  prompt  delivery,  and  the 
latest  models. 

Transverse  sections  of  a  perforated  rubber  stopper,  make 
excellent  washers  for  the  filter. 


"A  wise  physician,  skill'd  our  wounds  to  heal,  is  more  than  armies 
to  the  public  weal." — Pope. 

CHAPTER  VI 

THE  PREVENTION  AND  CURE  OF  PURULENT 
INFECTIONS 

Autotherapeutic  Septic  Rule  for  Surgery  or  The  Immediate 
Method  of  Wound  Treatment 

The  dog,  in  licking  his  wounds,  swallows  a  dose  of  unmodi- 
fied autogenous  toxins.*  For  this  reason,  his  wounds  heal 
quickly;  he  never  has  a  bad  infection  except  on  the  head, 
where,  for  anatomical  reasons,  he  cannot  lick.  Placing  liv- 
ing_  pyogenic  microorganisms  in  the  mouth  early  raises  the 
power  of  the  blood  serum,  and  stimulates  the  activity  of  the 
leukocytes  quickly  to  overcome  the  invaders.  Too  often  we 
hear  of  physicians  and  surgeons  infecting  their  hands  during 
an  operation,  or  autopsy,  and  dying  from  sepsis.  If  the 
physician  will  remember  to  suck  the  wound  then  and  there, 
and  afterwards  whenever  there  is  irritation  in  it,  there  will  be 
no  more  deaths  from  this  cause,  for  the  wound  will  heal  by 
first  intention.  Too  great  publicity  among  physicians  cannot 
be  given  to  this  simple  therapeutic  measure.  Homely  it  may 
appear,  but  in  therapeutic  value  it  surpasses  anything  that 
medicine  or  surgery  has  yet  given  us  for  this  condition.  In 
punctured  and  gunshot  wounds,  in  which  foreign  material, 
such  as  cloth,  wood,  etc.,  has  been  driven  into  the  tissues,  if 

*  This  was  pointed  out  first  by  the  author  in  1910,  and  has  since  been 
referred  to  in  many  of  his  articles. 

76 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        'j'j 

the  material  is  removed  before  antiseptics  are  applied,  and 
placed  in  the  patient's  mouth  after  he  has  come  out  of  anaes- 
thesia, and  he  be  instructed  to  chew  it,  swallowing  the  saliva 
and  juices  and  spitting  out  the  foreign  particles,  there  will 
in  all  probability  be  placed  in  the  mouth  some  of  the  micro- 
organisms that  entered  the  wound.  We  know  when  this 
occurs  there  will  be  a  probability,  almost  amounting  to  a  cer- 
tainty, that  severe  infection  will  be  prevented. 

Without  in  the  least  depreciating  the  value  of  aseptic  and 
antiseptic  technic  in  the  treatment  of  wounds,  I  offer  the  above 
method  of  wound  treatment  as  a  means  of  resisting  microbic 
invasion,  by  raising  the  power  of  the  blood  serum,  and  increas- 
ing the  activity  of  the  leukocytes  by  the  action  of  specific 
antibodies  which  cleanses  the  wound  better  than  any  other 
method.  "  It  must  be  admitted  there  is  much  we  do  not 
know  in  connection  with  the  healing  of  wounds ;  for  at  times 
when  the  most  rigid  aseptic  technic  has  been  employed,  wounds 
become  septic ;  while  in  the  accidental  wounds,  when  infection 
is  expected  or  invited,  the  wound  often  heals  by  first  intention. 
We  account  for  this  by  the  well-known  fact,  that  steriliza- 
tion of  the  skin  is  never  absolute.  There  must  ever  be  a  few 
residual  bacteria  in  the  deeper  tissues  of  the  skin,  that  are  not 
destroyed  by  the  antiseptics  and  whether  or  npt  infection  fol- 
lows jin  interruption  of  the  skin,  depends  upon  two  factors, 
namely,  the  n,atuj;:aL  ws\ sta nra  .^i-4b«-tig9tres ;  and  the..^c;jtJxity 
QjLjJtlg^Qrganism&  in  qu«s-tk)n.  Our  methods  of  measuring 
these  two  variable  quantities  are  not  accurate,  for  we  never 
know  there  will  be  an  infection  until  after  its  appearance." 

On  the  other  hand  Autotherapy  presupposes  the  wound  to  be 
infected,  and  utilizes  the  toxic  product  of  the  infecting  micro- 
organism to  develop  antibodies  to  combat  the  microorganisms. 

An  important  factor  which  enters  into  every  infection  has 
not  been  given   the  consideration  it  deserves,   namely, — the 


78  AUTOTHERAPY 

recuperative  power  of  the  patient.  Hahnemann  recognized 
this  and  called  it  the  "  vital  force  of  the  patient."  Wright 
mentioned  it  as  the  reactive  power  possessed  by  the  patient. 
Since  the  recuperative  power  of  the  patient  varies  within  wide 
limits,  even  in  the  same  patient  at  different  stages  of  his  in- 
fection, it  is  not  possible  for  us  to  adhere  to  any  standard 
dose  of  medicine;  for  the  dose  to  which  one  patient  would 
quickly  respond,  may  prove  fatal  in  some  other  patient  and 
possibly  to  the  same  patient,  if  it  is  withheld  during  the  course 
of  the  infection  till  his  recuperative  powers  have  been  reduced 
to  a  minimum. 

While  it  is  difficult  to  accurately  determine  just  what  the 
recuperative  power  a  given  patient  possesses  at  the  various 
stages  of  his  infection,  yet  it  is  the  clinician  who  can  better 
estimate  this  power,  for  he  is  in  a  better  position  to  select 
the  dose  suited  to  the  patient's  condition,  than  any  one  who 
has  not  seen  the  patient.  This  can  usually  be  fairly  accu-^ 
rately  done.  The  advantages  of  recognizing  the  recuperative 
power  of  the  patient  and  giving  the  remedy  according  to  his 
individual  needs,  over  the  present  method  of  giving  the 
standard  dose  printed  on  the  bottle,  is  at  once  apparent. 

H  a  wound  is  clean,  this  prophylaxis  will  do  no  harm. 
The  problem  that  presents  itself  in  applying  my  autoseptic 
technic  to  fresh  wounds  is  quite  simple ;  for  all  extra-ali- 
mentary and  extra-pulmonary  wounds.  The  problem  is  solved 
if  we  merely  place  or  transfer  the  infecting  microorganisms 
from  the  wound  in  the  mouth  early  in  order  that  resistance 
to  them  might  be  developed  before  they  have  become  acclimat- 
ed to  their  new  surroundings,  or  become  residents  of  the 
body  tissues.  In  arriving  at  the  proper  technic,  we  have 
established  facts  to  guide  us,  as  for  example  the  dog  in  licking 
and  curing  his  wounds  lets  in  a  flood  of  light  on  the  subject. 
A  fresh  wound  usually  bleeds  to  some  extent.    When  pyogenic 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS       79 

microorganisms  enter  a  wound,  some  of  them  will  tend  to  be 
washed  out  with  the  blood.  Some  of  the  microorganisms  are 
probably  destroyed  by  the  plasma;  those  remaining  in  the 
wound  that  proliferate,  and  those  that  come  out  with  the 
bleeding  engage  our  attention  at  present. 

In  an  infected  wound,  we  expect  pus  to  make  its  appear- 
ance by  the  third  or  fourth  day.  During  this  interval  the  in- 
vading microorganisms  must  proliferate  extensively.  The 
exudate  formed  by  the  rapidly  multiplying  organisms  is  fluid. 
Being  fluid  it  travels  in  the  direction  of  the  least  resistance, 
and  if  the  wound  is  drained  freely,  it  tends  to  travel  towards 
the  surface,  and  soak  into  the  gauze  covering  the  wound. 
Stress  has  been  laid  on  the  fact  that  the  autotherapeutic 
remedy  should  be  given  early  to  be  most  effective,  but  in 
purulent  infections  the  unmodified  toxin-complex  is  extremely 
efficacious  if  given  at  any  stage  of  an  infection.  When  the 
anti-bactericidal  elements  of  the  blood  are  established  to  a 
given  microorganism  before  the  pyogenic  wall  is  thrown  out, 
the  phagocytes  will  have  free  access  to  the  organisms  and  will 
tend  to  destroy  them  quickly. 

As  the  result  of  clinical  tests,  in  early  building  up  of  the 
bactericidal  elements  of  the  blood  to  an  infecting  microorganism 
or  microorganisms  the  following  autotherapeutic  rules  for  sur- 
gery have  been  formulated. 

The  Universal  Formula,  Applicable  to  All  Wounds 

If  the  exudate,  or  a  dilution  of  the  exudate  from  any  fresh 
wound  is  filtered  through  a  Berkfeld  filter,  and  the  filtrate  in- 
jected hypodermatically  at  proper  intervals,  purulent  infection 
will  tend  to  be  aborted. 

A  corollary  to  this  general  rule  that  is  often  more  con- 
venient in  the  application  of  this  principle,  may  be  stated  as 
follows : 


8o  AUTOTHERAPY 

If  the  discharge  from  an  extra-alimentary  or  extra-pul- 
monary fresh  wound  (the  most  common  class  of  wounds 
with  which  we  have  to  deal)  is  placed  in  the  mouth,  at  proper 
intervals,  purulent  infection  will  tend  to  be  aborted. 

In  test  cases  I  have  practically  thrown  aseptic  technic  to 
the  winds,  and  seldom  have  an  apparent  infection  follow  this 
treatment.  Wounds  of  the  mouth,  oesophagus,  stomach  and 
lungs  must  be  treated  by  the  general  rule  referred  to  above  if 
the  best  results  are  to  be  obtained  for  reasons  that  will  appear 
later.  Compound  fractures  of  the  legs,  arms,  skull,  etc.,  may 
be  treated  successfully  by  either  of  the  above  methods  with 
equally  good  results.  It  is  a  question  as  to  just  how  far 
down  in  the  alimentary  tract  a  wound  may  be  located,  in  order 
that  it  may  be  treated  successfully  by  following  the  treatment 
outlined  in  the  corollary.  It  appears  that  wounds  of  the  ileum 
and  the  large  intestines  may  be  treated  successfully  in  this 
manner. 

In  closed  wounds  and  in  some  punctured  wounds  in  which 
the  exudate  does  not  come  to  the  surface,  and  therefore  can- 
not be  obtained,  the  application  of  this  principle  is  not  prac- 
ticable. 

The  blood  serum  from  blood  with  a  high  leukocyte  count 
may  often  be  employed  successfully,  although  it  is  not  always 
as  reliable  as  the  filtrate  of  the  pathogenic  exudate,  from  the 
source  of  infection.  In  closed  wounds  a  small  silvei-jyire  or 
other  drain  inserted  for  three  or  four  days  will  tend  to  lead 
the  exudate  to  the  surface  without  leaving  a  large  opening. 
This  often  appears  to  be  all  that  is  necessary  to  allow  the 
exudate  to  come  to  the  surface  where  it  may  be  obtained 
for  therapeutic  purposes.  It  is  conceded  of  course,  that  shock, 
loss  of  blood,  churning  of  the  tissues,  foreign  bodies  in  the 
wound,  etc.,  complicate  the  conditions,  and  the  good  effect  of 
fortifying  the  tissues  to  the  infecting  organisms,  under  these 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        8i 

conditions,  by  autoimmunization  might  not  be  as  apparent  as 
under  the  conditions  we  should  ordinarily  expect  to  find  in  a 
wound.  It  is  assumed  that  the  surgeon  will  remove  all  for- 
eign bodies,  and  treat  the  wound  otherwise  by  well-known 
surgical  procedures.  In  this  discussion,  we  are  dealing  prin- 
cipally with  wounds  uncomplicated,  except  by  pyogenic  micro- 
organisms. However,  in  all  wounds  this  treatment  tends  to 
be  beneficial ;  for  under  any  conditions  in  which  we  can  obtain 
the  infecting  microorganisms,  we  should  be  able  to  fortify 
against  their  successful  invasion  sooner  and  better  than  by 
any  other  method  heretofore  advanced. 

In  treating  wounds  autotherapeutically,  Tjljah  dir.tinrri^r  tn 
be  understood.. as- neither  advocating  nor  recommending  any 
extraneous  material  or  foreign  microorganisms  to  be  placed 
in  the  wound,  either  by  careless  or  wilful  handling;  although 
in  my  test  cases  I  have  handled  many  accidental  wounds  that 
appeared  to  be  unsterile  with  unsterile  fingers,  and  I  invari- 
ably have  had  my  test  cases  heal  without  apparent  infection. 
Aseptic  technic  should  always  be  employed.  Autoseptic  tech- 
nic  should  be  employed  also  as  an  additional  element  of  safety, 
for  if  aseptic  technic  has  for  any  reason  been  faulty,  or  if  for 
reasons  little  understood  at  the  present  time,  the  wound  be- 
comes septic,  autotherapy  will  then  tend  to  build  up  the  bac- 
tericidal elements  of  the  blood  to  the  infecting  organisms.  In 
this  way  the  wound  is  made  to  heal  without  infection  being 
apparent.  Autotherapy  gives  us  more  latitude  in  our  operative 
surgical  technic,  correcting  faulty  surgical  aseptic  technic. 

Cleanse  the  wound  with  normal  salt  solution  only  and  dress 
it  daily  with  sterile  gauze.  At  each  dressing  catch  all  the 
oozing  from  the  wound  that  is  possible,  using  the  stained 
gauze  immediately  over  the  wound,  and  the  drain  if  there  be 
one.  Add  only  enough  distilled  water  to  bring  it  to  an  ounce 
of  fluid.    The  gauze  and  water  are  placed  in  a  bottle  and  well 


82  AUTOTHERAPY 

shaken.  It  is  then  allowed  to  stand  for  from  twelve  to 
twenty-four  hours,  at  the  end  of  which  time  it  is  filtered 
through  a  Berkfeld  filter,  and  from  one  to  four  ex.  of  the 
filtrate  injected  hypodermatically,  in  the  loose  cellular  tissues, 
as  for  example,  over  the  biceps  muscle.  Keep  this  treatment 
up  daily  till  after  the  danger  of  infection  has  passed. 

A  method  of  hurrying  this  process  consists  of  grinding  the 
bloody  discharge  in  a  mortar  with  powdered  glass.  After 
it  is  thoroughly  ground,  it  is  placed  in  an  ounce  bottle  of 
water,  thoroughly  shaken  to  dissolve  the  soluble  toxins  prop- 
erly. Filter  and  inject  the  filtrate  in  the  manner  described. 
Allowing  the  mixture  of  water  and  discharge  to  stand  and  the 
agitation  as  part  of  the  first  process,  as  well  as  the  grinding 
of  the  second  process,  destroys  some  of  the  microorganisms 
mechanically.  Their  toxins  will  then  go  into  solution  by 
autolysis,  and   be   in   the   filtrate   ready   for  use. 

Another  method  of  applying  the  autotherapeutic  principle  in 
a  simple  manner  is  as  follows :  Dress  the  fresh  wound  once 
or  twice  daily.  At  each  dressing  cut  out  about  four  square 
inches  of  the  stained  part  of  the  gauze  immediately  over  the 
wound,  place  it  in  a  four-ounce  bottle  of  water,  shake  well, 
and  give  the  decanted  fluid  to  the  patient  to  drink  in  several 
divided  doses.  This  procedure  is  highly  recommended  in 
preventing  infection,  in  extra-alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary 
wounds.  The  army  surgeon's  attention  is  directed  particu- 
larly to  it. 

When  we  are  able  to  obtain  the  infecting  microorganisms 
in  the  exudate,  and  properly  employ  them  autotherapeutically, 
early,  there  is  no  necessity  for  a  wound  ever  to  become  severely 
purulent. 

The  first  infecting  or  parent  microorganisms  are  usually 
few  in  number ;  they  must  multiply  extensively  before  the  pus 
can  be  seen.    At  the  time  this  treatment  is  being  carried  out, 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS       83 

the  system  is  usually  better  able  to  react  to  the  toxins  than  it 
would  be  later,  for  it  is  not  then  reduced  by  the  fever  coinci- 
dent with  pyogenic  infections.  The  microorganisms  are  not  as 
virulent  then  as  later,  when  many  successive  generations  of 
them  have  developed. 

As  operating  surgeon  for  eight  years  in  one  of  the  large 
emergency  hospitals  of  New  York  City,  abundant  opportunity 
for  proving  the  therapeutic  value  of  this  method  of 
wound  treatment  has  been  afforded.  It  is  distinctly  a  new 
and  original  procedure  and  entirely  foreign  to  all  modern 
methods  of  treatment;  yet  wounds  usually  remain  free  from 
pus  when  this  treatment  is  given.  Free  drainage  and  autoseptic 
technic  will  cause  almost  any  non-fatal  wound  to  heal  with^ 
out  infection  being  apparent.  In  the  last  analysis  it  appears 
that  a  patient  may  abort  an  infection  by  simply  chewing  his^. 
own  bloody  dressings  twice  daily.  This  is  a  fact,  and  we  can~ 
not  knoiv  too  many  facts.  The  trouble  in  the  past  has  been  we 
have  known  too  few.  The  knowledge  of  this  simple  fact  may 
in  certain  rare  instances  be  the  means  of  saving  human  life. 
The  autoseptic  treatment  of  wounds  in  no  way  interferes  with 
the  established  aseptic  method,  but  offers  an  additional  simple 
and  effective  safeguard  against  infection,  when  the  treatment 
is  properly  carried  out.  It  is  the  source  of  a  great  deal  of 
satisfaction  to  approach  the  operating  -table,  with  an  addi- 
tional assurance  that  no  apparent  infection  will  follow  the 
operation. 

The  writer  first  successfully  employed  the  live  pathogenic 
microorganisms  as  a  therapeutic  agent. 

Surgery  has  achieved  wonderful  results.  Autotherapy 
comes  in  before  and  after  operative  surgery,  achieving  just 
as  brilliant  results  in  its  special  field  of  usefulness,  tending  not 
only  to  render  many  surgical  operations  unnecessary  but  also 
to    correct    faulty    aseptic    surgical    technic.      When    Auto- 


84  AUTOTHERAPY 

therapy  is  properly  employed  in  the  treatment  of  wounds  of 
warfare  the  resultant  loss  of  life  of  the  wounded  soldier  is 
reduced  to  a  minimum.  For  the  average  soldier  is  able-bodied 
and  capable  of  developing  strong  reactions. 

It  is  obvious  from  what  has  been  stated  above,  that  the 
technic  of  the  autotherapeutic  treatment  of  wounds  in  war- 
fare is  elementarily  simple,  and  in  its  simplicity  rests  its  accu- 
racy. 

Before  entering  into  a  discussion  of  the  autotherapeutic 
method  of  treating  purulent  infections,  it  is  particularly  inter- 
esting at  this  time  when  the  whole  world  is  at  war  to  hear 
what  the  English  and  American  Army  and  Navy  surgeons 
say  of  this  method. 

The  following  abstract  is  from  an  able  article  under  the  title 
of,  "  The  Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Septic  Wounds  in 
Warfare,"  by  Dr.  F.  W.  Sumner,  S.A.,  M.D.,  Civil  and  Mili- 
tary Surgeon,  Saharanpor,  India,  U.P.,  appearing  in  the  Indian 
Medical  Gazette,  November,  1914.  Dr.  Sumner  says  of  Auto- 
therapy in  substance,  "If  one  could  devise  a  means  of  pre- 
venting wounds,  received  in  warfare,  from  going  septic,  the 
number  of  fatalities  would  rapidly  diminish.  The  first  field 
dressing  now  in  use  is  excellent  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it 
only  if  immediately  applied,  stops  one  of  the  modes  of  egress 
of  septic  material,  etc.,  i.e.,  after  injection.  The  defenses  of 
the  body  against  a  successful  pathogenic  invasion,  are,  that  in 
the  first  stage  some  toxins  are  absorbed  from  the  wound 
(the  less  damage  of  surrounding  tissues,  the  more  easily  are 
the  toxins  absorbed),  these  stimulate  the  production  of  anti- 
bodies in  the  body  tissues ;  these  are  able  to  get  at  the  source 
of  trouble  more  or  less  according  as  the  local  tissue  damage 
is  more  or  less;  in  a  clean-cut  operation  wound  where  the 
tissue  damage  is  at  a  minimum,  the  microorganisms  are  held 
in  check  and  the  wound  heals  by  '  first  intention.'    With  more 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        85 

damage,  the  surrounding  parts  are  choked  up  with  leukocytes, 
tissue  cells  and  microorganisms,  and  a  merry  fight  goes  on 
between  the  offensive  and  defensive  forces.  The  defense  not 
only  shuts  off  the  body  from  an  invasion  of  microorganisms, 
but  at  the  same  time  prevents  the  body  from  pouring  its 
ammunition  of  antibodies  into  the  invaders ;  the  slaughter 
of  cells  is  great  and  shows  itself  by  the  amount  of  pus  pro- 
duced. Where  the  body  cannot  for  some  reason  or  other, 
manufacture  its  ammunition  of  antibodies  and  the  defensive 
wall  is  set  up,  septicaemia,  or  blood  poisoning  occurs;  the 
invaders'  poison  may  have  been  so  strong  that  the  body  cells 
could  not  react,  and  lie  inert  and  unresponsive ;  or  the  cells 
may  have  been  in  an  unfit  conditon  from  chronic  poisoning, 
diabetes,  nephritis,  etc.,  for  the  septic  fever  and  other  symp- 
toms of  the  patient  depend  on  how  much  or  how  little  this 
manufacture  of  toxins  is  walled  off  from  the  body  by  the 
leukocytes  and  tissue  cell  barricade.  Wounds  of  warfare  lend 
themselves  even  more  readily  than  other  wounds  to  auto- 
genous toxin  treatment,  for  they  are  usually  wounds  arising 
in  a  healthy  body.  Many  attempts  have  been  made  more  or 
less  successfully  at  vaccine  treatment,  such  as  the  injection  of 
stock  vaccine,  or  vaccine  prepared  from  culture  grown  from 
the  causative  germs,  and  of  vaccine  prepared  from  pus  direct, 
also  from  the  ingestion  by  the  mouth  of  vaccine  products." 

Dr.  Sumner  states  further,  "  The  lines  on  which  I  have 
been  working  during  the  past  few  months,  are,  the  injection 
or  ingestion  of  bacteria-free  and  unmodified  toxins,  for  which 
I  owe  my  thanks  to  a  paper  by  Dr.  Duncan,  under  the  title 
of  '  Autotherapy '  that  appeared  in  the  Practitioner,  April, 
1914. 

"  It  is  to  be  noted  in  Autotherapy  that  pure  unadulterated 
toxins  germ-free  are  thus  injected,  by  his  method,  and  the 
result  compared  with  other  vaccine  treatment — well,  it  is  in- 


86  AUTOTHERAPY 

comparable.  For  the  past  few  months  I  have  used  this  method 
of  treatment  with  the  most  gratifying  results. 

"  An  animal's  wound — granted  he  can  get  at  it  and  lick  it — 
and  assuming  that  his  general  state  of  health  is  good,  prac- 
tically never  becomes  purulent.  Why  ?  From  the  first  he  licks 
it,  and  the  saliva  with  the  toxins  licked  from  the  wound,  is 
swallowed.  This  results  in  antibodies  being  produced  by  his 
bodily  tissues,  being  circulated  in  the  wound  and  paralyzing, 
and  finally  killing  off  all  the  microorganisms  in  the  wound,  so 
that  aseptic  healing  of  the  wound  occurs.  It  is  especially  to  be 
noted  that  the  animal  is  ingesting  pure  toxins;  these  are  not 
sterilized  at  some  sixty  or  other  degrees  of  temperature ;  not 
preserved  by  adding  antiseptics;  not  altered  by  keeping,  not 
grown  on  culture  media,  but  straight,  fresh  from  Nature's 
laboratory.     Here  is  a  lesson  of  Nature  to  follow. 

"  Heat,  antiseptics,  keeping  in  stock,  etc.,  all  alter,  modify 
or  render  inert  the  toxins,  hence  the  disappointing  results  for 
the  most  part  of  vaccine  treatment. 

"  Applying  the  natural  autotherapeutic  treatment  made  use- 
ful by  animals  to  wounds,  and  especially  wounds  received  in 
warfare;  the  following  procedure  must  be  carefully  followed 
out;  the  simple  instructions  should  be  printed  and  given  to 
every  soldier  for  his  guidance : 

1.  "  No  antiseptics  to  be  placed  on  the  wound. 

2.  "  Where  possible,  the  wound  to  be  placed  at  once  in  the 

mouth  and  sucked  for  five  minutes,  every  two  hours,  or 
oftener,  for  three  or  more  days.  Any  foreign  body  to 
be  taken  out  of  the  wound  (bits  of  clothing,  etc.),  placed 
in  the  mouth  and  well  chewed  for  five  minutes,  the 
saliva,  juice,  etc.,  from  the  wound,  or  foreign  body,  to 
be  swallowed,  the  foreign  body  to  be  spat  out. 

3.  "  Where  the  mouth  of  the  wound  is  small  and  tends  to 

close  up,  retaining  the  discharges,  it  must  be  kept  open 
by  inserting  a  few  strands  of  cotton  thread,  parts  of  the 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS       87 

bandage,  etc.,  to  act  as  a  drain;  where  the  wound  is  so 
situated  that  it  cannot  be  placed  in  the  mouth,  take  a 
piece  of  clean  gauze  (or  rag)  dip  it  in  clean  drinking 
water,  squeeze  out  as  much  water  as  possible,  and  apply 
this  to  the  wound  to  soak  up  the  discharges.  After 
two  hours  place  the  rag,  after  wiping  up  the  wound  with 
it,  in  the  mouth,  chew  well  for  five  minutes  as  above 
described ;  put  on  a  similar  piece  of  rag  and  repeat  the 
process  every  two  hours,  being  especially  careful,  where 
the  wound  is  small,  to  take  out  the  drain  each  time,  to 
clean  it  with  the  rag  and  put  in  a  fresh  drain  at  each 
dressing. 

4.  "  Nothing  but  boiled  water  may  be  used  to  cleanse  the 

wound. 

5.  "  As  regards  the  '  rag,'  it  matters  not  at  all  whether  it  be 

septic  or  no,  as  any  microorganisms  on  it  will,  by  this 
method,  produce  their  own  antibodies,  and  their  own 
destruction." 

Dr.  John  C.  Parham,  M.D.,  Past  Assistant  Surgeon,  U.  S. 
Navy,  Charleston,  S.  C,  in  an  article  under  the  title  of  "  Auto- 
therapy "  which  appeared  in  the  Southern  Medical  Journal, 
April,  1916,  Vol.  IX,  No.  4,  pages  303-307: 

"  I  want  to  prophesy  a  marked  reduction  in  infected  wounds 
in  military  surgery  when  Autotherapy  is  practiced  prophylacti- 
cally.  I  make  it  a  rule  to  administer  a  filtrate  in  all  extensive 
septic  wound  cases.  The  material  for  the  filtrate  is  obtained 
from  the  wound  before  the  application  of  the  usual  tincture 
of  iodine  and  consists  of  particles  of  foreign  matter  contami- 
nating the  wound  and  expressed  blood.  In  other  cases  the 
filtrate  is  made  from  a  portion  of  the  stained  dressing  im- 
pregnated with  wound  discharge  taken  at  the  time  of  the 
second  dressing.  In  intra-abdominal  and  intra-thoracic  condi- 
tions where  pus  is  located,  the  patient  receives  a  filtrate  from 
the  discharge.  The  filtrate  from  the  exudate  in  aural  or  nasal- 
pharyngeal  infections  is  of  signal  value  in  preventing  mastoid 


88  AUTOTHERAPY 

complications.  It  will  be  seen  in  surgical  as  well  as  medical 
fields  the  range  of  application  of  Autotherapy  is  wide  and  what 
is  to  the  point  it  is  effective. 

"  Entire  credit  for  this  method  of  treatment  must  be  given 
to  Duncan.  The  principles  enunciated  in  this  article  are  his 
almost  without  exception,  and  the  sole  purpose  of  this  article 
is  to  attempt  to  direct  attention  to  the  procedure  in  order 
that  it  may  gain  the  wider  employment  its  merit  deserves."  Dr. 
Parham  reported  numerous  cases  he  believed  otherwise  hope- 
less, cured  quickly  by  means  of  Autotherapy. 

Various  reports  have  come  to  us  privately  from  both  civil 
and  military  surgeons  as  to  the  eminently  successful  results 
obtained  in  military  hospitals  in  France  in  treating  wounds 
of  soldiers  by  means  of  Autotherapy ;  and  testimony  of  the 
most  convincing  kind  has  singularly  come  to  us  from  the  lay 
press. 

The  writer  had  no  idea  that  Autotherapy  as  a  prophylaxis 
to  infection  was  so  extensively  employed  in  Europe,  although 
all  during  the  war,  he  has  left  no  stone  unturned,  to  bring 
to  the  attention  of  the  military  authorities  of  all  European 
Nations  the  great  benefit  that  would  be  derived  from  treat- 
ing the  wounded  soldiers  autotherapeutically. 

Scribner's  Magazine  for  October,  191 7,  contained  an  article 
under  the  title,  "  In  a  Tank  at  the  Messine's  Ridge,"  by  Lieut. 
"  Z  "  of  the  British  Army,  in  which  he  states,  "  After  battle 
the  wounded  soldiers  sit  by  the  roadside  licking  their  wounds 
aseptically."  Then  in  closing,  he  remarks,  "  On  the  return  of 
the  tanks,  graphophones  are  whirling  at  top  speed ;  bands 
are  playing;  bagpipes  are  squeaking;  and  somewhere  over  in 
the  East,  the  Hun  sits  licking  his  zuounds,  and  afraid." 

French  Army  surgeons  appear  to  be  familiar  with  not  only 
the  autotherapeutic  method  of  treating  wounds  of  warfare 
but  also  the  autotherapeutic  method  of  treating  respiratory 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        89 

infections,  from  an  article  by  the  writer  that  appeared  in  the 
Paris  Medicale,  January,  1914,  under  the  title  of,  "  The  Radical 
Treatment  of  Chronic  Bronchitis  and  Catarrhal  Infections 
of  the  Respiratory  Tract,"  where  the  technic  of  Autotherapy 
in  its  application  to  respiratory  infections  is  given.  When  a 
celebrated  surgeon  of  the  French  Army  had  his  attention 
directed  to  this  method  of  treatment  in  1916,  he  stated  that  it 
was  not  only  well  known  in  France  but  that  it  was  used  so  suc- 
cessfully both  in  and  out  of  the  army,  that  two  articles  had 
appeared  on  the  subject  in  the  daily  papers,  the  Temps  and 
Figaro  respectively,  calling  attention  of  the  surgeons  of  the 
French  Army  to  this  effective  method  of  treating  bronchial 

conditions.  " 

Gas  Gangrene 

No  less  authority  than  Roux,  the  Director  of  the  Pasteur 
Institute  in  Paris,  vouches  for  the  remarkable  curative  effect 
of  Autotherapy.  In  the  Spring  and  Summer  of  191 5,  five  years 
after  the  author  had  been  using  Autotherapy  continuously  and 
successfully,  he  states  in  substance  in  connection  with  the 
treatment  of  gas  gangrene :  "  As  there  was  no  time  to  wait  for 
cultures,  the  idea  was  entertained  of  injecting  sterilized  crude 
pus  or  serum  of  the  local  lesion  into  its  vicinity."  This  idea 
was  due  in  part  to  the  fact  that  as  many  as  four  or  more  germs 
were  present  in  the  secretions  so  that  the  labor  of  'preparing  a 
polyvalent  vaccine  would  have  been  great  and  tedious.  How- 
ever, the  cultures  were  duly  made,  while  the  crude  pus  was 
used,  and  eventually  the  autovaccines  replaced  the  crude  pus. 
He  states  that  the  men  who  actually  did  the  work  were  Wein- 
berg and  Seguin,  who  receive  credit  for  it  while  the  man  who 
brought  the  matter  before  the  Society  of  Biology,  was  Pro- 
fessor Delbet,  one  of  the  most  responsible  of  the  French 
Surgeons. 

The  writer  finds  it  difficult  to  believe  that  these  authorities 


90  AUTOTHERAPY 

did  not  have  some  knowledge  of  his  work  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  he  sent  many  thousand  reprints  of  his  articles  broad- 
cast throughout  Europe,  in  the  years  191 1,  1912,  1913  and 
1914.*  He  is  naturally  in  doubt  as  to  whether  these  men  were 
influenced  by  his  writings  directly  or  indirectly,  for  it  is  im- 
possible to  believe  that  his  views  on  this  subject  could  be 
entirely  unknown  to  them. 

In  devising  this  crude  method  of  applying  the  autothera- 
peutic  principle,  these  highly  independent  authorities  confirm 
the  author's  previous  teachings.  Their  work  not  only  shows 
the  remarkable  therapeutic  effect  of  Autotherapy  but  a  strik- 
ing parallelism  to  the  writer's  ideas  expressed  years  before 
their  articles  were  published. 

Surgeon  General  Braisted  of  the  United  States  Navy  says: 
"Autotherapy  is  a  subject  of  undeniable  interest  and  impor- 
tance." 

Case  i.  Dr.  Francis  H.  Kirsch  of  New  York  City,  reports 
the  following  case: 

"On  January  9,  191 1,  while  performing  a  post-mortem  on 
a  patient  that  died  from  a  cancer  of  the  pylorus  and  intestines 
with  general  diffused  peritonitis,  I  cut  the  middle  finger  of  my 
left  hand  but  disliked  the  idea  of  putting  the  unwashed  finger 
in  my  mouth ;  instead  I  washed  the  wound  with  bichloride, 
one  to  one-hundred  and  painted  it  with  iodine.  Within  thirty- 
six  hours  I*sufTered  with  much  pain  in  the  wound  of  a  burn- 
ing sensation.  There  was  considerable  swelling  with  redness 
and  heat  and  I  became  frightened.  At  the  suggestion  of  Dr. 
Duncan,  the  wound  (which  had  become  sealed)  was  opened 
and  I  was  instructed  to  lick  and  suck  the  wound,  swallowing 
the  excretion ;  this  stopped  the  pain  wit^hin  twelve  hours  and 
within  twenty- four  hours  it  began  to  heal ;  in  a  few  days  more 
it  had  completely  healed." 

Case  2.    H.  R,,  male,  aged  45  years,  applied  for  treatment 

*  "  Autotherapy  "  by  D.  J.  Mangan,  D.V.S.,  American  Veterinary  Re- 
view, July,  1912,  was  republished  in  the  British  Veterinary  Journal, 
1913. 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS   91 

January  29,  191 1,  at  my  clinic.  In  falling,  he  ran  a  splinter 
of  wood  from  a  rotten  board  into  the  back  of  his  right  wrist. 
It  was  an  inch  long.  It  was  decided  to  perform  an  experi- 
ment in  this  instance,  and  the  writer  asked  two  of  the 
house  staff.  Dr.  Dietrich  and  Dr.  Kirsch,  to  witness  it.  In 
this  experiment  practically  every  known  rule  of  modern  asep- 
tic surgery  was  violated  and  the  best  results  followed.  Noth- 
ing was  cleansed  or  sterilized.  The  instruments  used  were 
a  scalpel,  an  artery  clip,  and  a  pair  of  forceps.  These  were 
taken  from  the  pocket  case  of  one  of  the  assistants  and 
used  as  they  were.  The  wound  was  opened  with  the  scalpel 
and  after  a  futile  effort  to  withdraw  the  splinter  with  the 
forceps  and  artery  clip,  it  was  taken  away  piecemeal.  Time 
consumed  about  ten  minutes.  First,  the  wound  was  not  made 
sterile ;  second,  the  surgeon's  hands  were  not  sterile ;  third, 
the  instruments  were  not  sterile ;  fourth,  the  needle  and  suture 
were  not  sterile ;  fifth,  the  gauze  covering  the  wound  was  not 
sterile ;  sixth,  the  wound  was  placed  in  the  unsterile  mouth. 
After  the  sliver  had  been  removed,  the  patient  was  told  to 
suck  the  wound  vigorously  for  five  minutes.  Then  a  very 
superficial  suture  of  silkworm  gut  was  put  in  place,  but  the 
skin  flaps  were  not  drawn  tightly.  A  flap  of  unsterile  gauze 
was  placed  over  the  wound  and  held  with  a  piece  of  tape.  The 
tape  was  tied  in  a  bow-knot,  and  the  patient  was  instructed  to 
loosen  it  and  suck  the  wound  every  few  minutes,  especially 
when  he  felt  any  tickling  or  irritation  in  it.  He  was  told  to 
return  to  the  clinic  whenever  it  gave  him  trouble,  but  to  return 
at  any  rate  in  six  days  to  have  the  suture  removed.  He  did 
not  return  for  two  weeks,  and  an  orderly  was  sent  to  learn 
why;  the  answer  was,  "  There  was  no  necessity  for  returning; 
that  the  wound  healed  all  right."  He  was  told  to  return  and 
have  the  suture  removed.  He  said,  "  That's  all  right,  I  took 
that  out  with  my  jack-knife." 

In  order  to  substantiate  further  his  claims  to  be  able  to 
abort  sepsis  by  simply  placing  a  fresh  wound,  or  the  discharge 
from  a  fresh  wound,  in  the  mouth,  the  author  visited  the 
dog-catching  station  at  loth  Street  and  East  River.  It  is 
believed  that  the  bite  from  any  animal  is  liable  to  result  in 


92  AUTOTHERAPY 

purulent  infection,  and  possibly  tetanus  or  hydrophobia,  and 
any  neglect  to  cleanse  thoroughly  or  cauterize  the  bite  from  any 
animal  invites  infection.  The  dog-catchers  never  have  purulent 
infection,  gangrene,  tetanus  or  hydrophobia  follow  their  bites 
when  they  are  able  to  get  the  wound  in  the  mouth;  they  suck 
their  wounds  at  once  when  bitten. 

Case  3.  Patient  male,  age  28  years,  was  admitted  to  the 
hospital  suffering  with  a  compound  fracture  of  both  bones  of 
the  left  leg,  lower  third,  the  wound  was  opened,  all  blood  clots 
removed,  and  a  sterile  drain  inserted.  The  leg  was  put  in  a 
plaster  cast  with  a  window  and  dressed  daily.  Just  before 
the  operation,  and  on  several  succeeding  days,  the  following 
treatment  was  given:  About  four  inches  of  the  stained  gauze 
from  immediately  over  the  wounds,  were  placed  in  a  four- 
ounce  bottle  of  water;  this  was  thoroughly  shaken,  and  the 
decanted  fluid  given  the  patient  to  drink  in  divided  doses. 
The  wound  healed  by  first  intention. 

Case  4.  Dr.  Charles  T.  Sibley,  of  New  York  City,  a  Bap- 
tist Missionary  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  reports  the  following 
interesting  case :  There  was  brought  into  his  hospital  at  Mi- 
nandao,  a  young  man  who  had  been  cut  severely  in  a  fight 
with  a  bolo.  The  father  of  this  patient  was  a  physician  on  a 
neighboring  island,  and  the  young  man  upon  entering  the 
hospital  requested  that  a  wireless  be  sent  to  his  father  regard- 
ing his  condition.  This  message  was  sent  and  the  answer  came 
immediately  in  a  long  wireless  message,  instructing  him  to 
take  care  of  his  son  by  a  new  and  wonderful  method  of  treat- 
ment, called  Autotherapy — going  into  details  in  regard  to  the 
treatment;  insisting  that  this  treatment  be  given  as  he  indi- 
cated, and  stating  in  conclusion  that  he  was  using  this  method 
successfully  in  his  practice.  Dr.  Sibley  answered  by  letter 
that  Dr.  Duncan  was  a  classmate  of  his  at  college,  and  sent 
the  father  several  reprints  that  Dr.  Duncan  had  given  him. 
The  patient  was  treated  autotherapeutically  and  the  severe  in- 
fection forestalled.  The  wound  healed  apparently  by  first 
intention. 

Case  5.  Patient,  male,  age  22  years,  was  brought  in  the 
hospital  on  the  ambulance,  suffering  with  a  penetrating  stab 


PREVENTION  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        93 

wound  of  the  left  chest  between  the  third  and  fourth  ribs. 
Upon  deep  breathing,  bubbles  of  air  came  from  the  wound  and 
the  sputum  was  streaked  with  blood.  The  wound  was  cleansed 
externally  with  normal  salt  solution,  and  a  sterile  drain  in- 
serted. In  six  hours,  the  drain  was  placed  in  an  ounce  bottle 
of  water.  This  was  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve  hours  with 
occasional  agitation.  It  was  then  filtered,  and  20  minims 
injected  into  the  loose  cellular  tissues  over  the  biceps  muscle. 
Five  treatments  were  given  two  days  apart ;  the  wound  healed 
by  first  intention.  The  patient  was  kept  in  bed,  however,  for 
three  weeks,  when  he  was  discharged  cured.  The  toxins  from 
this  wound  probably  could  not  have  been  given  by  the  mouth 
as  successfully  as  by  giving  them  hypodermatically. 

Healthy  tissues  develop  the  maximum  resistance,  or  anti- 
bodies, to  toxins  that  are  placed  in  them.  In  this  stab  wound 
of  the-  lungs  it  was  altogether  probable  that  the  wound  was 
infected,  for  the  lungs  contained  myriads  of  pathogenic  micro- 
organisms. The  wound  being  infected  could  be  classed  as  a 
bronchitis  or  other  respiratory  disease.  In  bronchial  infec- 
tions, there  is  very  little_reaction,  because  the  patient  is^^coi> 
stantly  swallowing  the  toxins  contained  in  the  sputuin ;  and 
tliese  tissues  are  already  involved  with  the  toxins;  but^when 
the  sputum  is  filtered  through  a  Berkfeld  filter,  and  the  filtrate 
injected  hypodermatically,  the  cure  in  all  acute  conditions  is 
expected  to  follow  quickly.  "=^ 

Case  6.  F.  W.  Sumner,  M.D.  A  man  had  a  ganglion 
situated  over  the  wrist  joint.  This  was  removed  through  an 
incision  one  inch  long.  Immediately  he  came  round  from  the 
anaesthetic  the  plain  boiled  water  dressing  was  removed  and 
wrist  placed  frequently  in  his  mouth  to  suck.  The  wound 
healed  by  first  intention. 

Case  7.  F.  W.  Sumner,  M.D.  Depressed  fracture  of  skull 
in  frontal  region  in  a  Sepoy  of  Remount  Depot,  Saharanpur. 
He  had  been  kicked  by  a  horse  and  the  wound  was  dirty  and 
contused.  The  skull  was  trephined,  depressed  bone  raised,  and 
a  piece  which  had  been  driven  into  the  brain  substance  re- 


94  AUTOTHERAPY 

moved.  The  scalp  was  lightly  drawn  together.  He  was  given 
by  the  mouth  daily  autogenous  exudate  from  the  dressings. 
The  wound  healed  by  granulation  without  complication. 

Case  8.  F.  W.  Sumner,  M.D.  (a  good  one  for  compari- 
son with  one  above.)  A  boy  fell  from  a  tree  on  his  forehead. 
He  had  a  depressed  fracture  of  the  skull.  I  was  absent  and 
the  case  was  operated  on  "  secundum  artem  "  by  the  assistant 
surgeon.  He  was  admitted  to  the  hospital  the  day  following 
case  7's  admission.  Profuse  suppuration  took  place  and  a 
hernia  cerebri  resulted.  He  was  not  treated  with  Auto- 
therapy. 

The  Cure  of  Purulent  Infections 
It  will  readily  be  seen,  the  autotherapeutic  technic  em- 
ployed in  treating  the  following  cases  of  purulent  infection 
varies  within  wide  limits;  the  basal  consideration  is,  that  the 
toxins  should  be  fresh  and  unmodified  by  our  present  labora- 
tory methods.  That  is  to  say,  the  toxins  should  be  as  nearly 
like  the  natural  human,  unmodified  toxin-complex  as  it  appears 
in_the  patieiifs  body  as  it  is  possible  for  it  to  be.  The  cases 
cited  have  been  taken  from  a  list  of  thousands,  that  have 
been  treated  by  the  writer  and  by  many  other  physicians,  scat- 
tered throughout  every  State  in  the  Union  and  from  many 
parts  of  the  world.  This  treatment  is  no  longer  an  experi- 
ment ;  it  has  come  to  stay.  A  few  drops  of  pus  employed  autp- 
therapeutically  will  cure^urulent  infection  a  thousand  years 
frorn_now_as  it  does  today.  There  may  be  improvements  in 
the  technic  of  its  administration,  but  the  treatment  outlined 
below  is  the  specific  medication  for  purulent  infections. 
No.  I.    Autotherapeutic  technic  for  purulent  infection 

Fresh  pus Minims  6. 

Distilled  water  Ounce  i. 

Sig. — Mix  in  a  bottle,  shake  well,  and  allow  to  stand 
for  24  hours.  Filter  through  a  Berkefeld  filter.  Inject  20 
minims  of  the  bacteria-free  filtrate  into  the  loose  cellular 
tissues  over  the  biceps  muscle. 


THE  CURE  ^  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        95 


No.  2.  There  are  various  modifications  of  this  treatment 
that  are  useful  at  times,  but  the  therapeutic  value  of  none  of 
thesehasbeen  proved  to  be  greater  than  that  given  above.  For 
example,  we  use  the  following  method  in  treating  desperate 
cases,  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  hurry  medication.  This 
treatment  is  useful  also  when  it  is  impossible  to  see  the  patient 
again.  It  is  useful  mainly  because  it  saves  time.  The  time  // 
between  obtaining  the  pus  and  giving  the  injection  may  be-V^^^^^ 
shortened  by  thoroughly  grinding  ten  drops  of  pus  jn  a  mortar 
with  powdered  glass,  or  fine  sharp  clean  sand,  previous__to 
mixing  it  with  the  water.  When  this  is  done,  the  mixture 
should  be  thoroughly  agitated  in  a  bottle  with  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water  to  dissolve  the  soluble  toxins.  When  the  micro- 
organisms are  destroyed,  their  toxins  will  tend  to  go  into  solu- 
tion by  autolysis.  The  fluid  is  then  filtered  through  a  Berkfeld 
filter,  and  20  minims  are  injected  at  once. 

No.  3.     "  One  teaspoonful  of  pus  is  thoroughly  shaken  with 
two  ounces  of  water.     This  mixture  is  then  without  loss  of 
time,  passed  through  a  Berkefeld  filter  and  one  c.c.  of  the  __^_^ 
filtrate  injected  subcutaneously.     The  result  is  immediate  and       //    . 
most  gratifying  both  to  patient  and  physician."  *  '       ~ 

No.  4.  This  method  of  treating  the  patient  suffering  with 
purulent  infection  is  the  one  the  writer  has  used  successfully 
in  treating  hundreds  of  cases,  and  which  he  prefers  to  all 
others.  This  preparation  will  keep  and  if  no  additional  micro- 
organisms  creep  into  the  wound  during  the  daily  dressings,  it 
niay  be  used  till  the  case  is  cleared  up. 

Pus Minims  3. 

Light  curettage  from  the  side  of  the  wound  . .  Minims  3. 

Milk  sugar   Ounce  i. 

Sig. — Mix   in  a  mortar  and  grind  thoroughly   for  ten 

minutes.     Dose,  20  grains  by  the  mouth.     Repeat  every 

hour  till  ten  doses  are  given,  then  stop  medication. 
*  "  Autotherapy  "  by  Dr.  J.  J.  Sellwood,  of  Portland,  Oregon.    Medi- 
cal Sentinel,  June,  1914. 


T^ 


96  AUTOTHERAPY 

No.  5.  Another  method  of  treatment  may  be  useful  when  a 
large  number  of  patients  are  to  be  treated  within  a  limited 
period  of  time.  Place  from  two  to  six  drops^of  pus  on  a  lump 
of  sugar,  or  in  a  little  water  (colored  with_cocoa  if  neces- 
sary  to  disguise  any  blood)  and  give  to  the  patient  in  one 
dose.  Many  veterinarians  just  catch  the  pus  on  a  spoon,  or  on  a 
flat  stick,  and  place  it  on  the  animal's  tongue.  They  are 
unanimous  in  vouching  for  the  specificity  of  Autotherapy. 
Their  leading  men  say,  "  It  would  be  a  crime  not  to  give  it  to 
horses." 

No.  6.  Another  method  that  may  be  useful  at  times,  is  sim- 
ply to  lick  the  pus  from  the  infected  area.  If  the  infection  is 
very  recent,  this  may  be  done  at  comparatively  frequent  inter- 
vals;  if  it  is  chronic,  this  treatment  should  not  be  so  frequent. 
When  another  dose  is  needed,  there  is  some  indication  for  it 
in  the  wound.  It  feels  irritated,  or  the  patient's  attention  is 
attracted  to  it.  If  it  is  then  placed  in_the  mouth  and  licked. 
the  irritation  will  soon  subside.  If  it  isimpossible  to  reach 
the  wound  with  the  tongue,  a  part  of  the  stained  dressing 
may_be_chewed.  In  very  chronic  cases,  one  or  two  treatments 
of  this  nature  is  often  all  that  is  required. 

If  the  best  results  are  to  be  obtained  in  giving  the  auto- 
therapeutic  medication,  the  patient  should  be  watched  care- 
fully for  any  change  in  his  condition.  Except  in  ver>'  acute 
cases,  no  further  dose  is  given  till  the  patient  ceases  to  im- 
prove under  the  preceding  dose ;  in  chronic  cases,  this  will 
often  be  from  the  third  to  the  seventh  day!  Trr~from  six  to 
ten  hours  after  the  treatment,  if  it  is  by  the  injection  of  the 
autotherapeutic  filtrate,  the  cutaneous  reaction  will  be  from 
the  size  of  a  silver  dollar  to  that  of  the  palm  of  the  hand. 
The  constitutional  reaction  is  usually  slight,  the  temperature 
seldom  rising  above  100°  F.  After  twenty- four  hours,  the 
cutaneous  and  constitutional  reactions  will  begin  to  subside; 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        97 

in  forty-eight  hours,  they  usually  disappear.  The  pains  in 
the  wound  will  often  cease,  from  one  to  twelve  hours  after 
the  toxins  are  given.  In  twenty-four  hours,  the  discharge  will 
usually  be  noticeably  less.  Coincident  with  the  discharge  be- 
coming less,  it  becomes  thin  and  sanguineous,  and  the  clinical 
symptoms  begin  to  subside.  A  thin  discharge  is  the  indication 
that  the  curative  reaction  is  continuing.  No  further  dose  is 
given,  as  long  as  the  discharge  is  thin.  If  the  discharge  be- 
comes thick  again,  another  dose  is  given.  Watch  your  pa- 
tient carefully,  let  him  be  the  guide  as  to  when  another 
treatment  is  needed.  No  set  of  rules  will  fit  all  cases.  The 
doses  given  are  for  a  strong  healthy  man.  Never  use  anti- 
septics on  a  wound  treated  autotherapeutically,  for  many 
antiseptics  destroy  the  therapeutic  value  of  the  toxins ;  that  is, 
pus  containing  some  antiseptics  is  useless  for  autotherapeutic 
purposes.  When  a  moist  dressing  is  desired,  normal  saline,  or 
boiled  water,  may  be  used. 

Case  9.  Dr.  A.  Clement  Shute,  of  Pottstown,  Pa.,  reports 
the  following  test  made  on  himself  as  a  patient.  He  had  a  nest 
of  boils  in  the  axilla,  and  placed  a  few  drops  of  pus  from  one 
in  his  mouth.  It  tasted  sweet  and  took  away  all  pain  as  if 
by  magic.    A  dose  or  two  more  cleared  up  the  whole  condition. 

Case  10.  Dr.  R.  A.  Agnew,  of  Jewett  City,  Conn.,  reports 
the  following  case  successfully  treated  by  him.  "  The  patient 
had  a  discharging  wound  in  the  tibia  for  seven  months.  On 
December  18,  1912,  I  gave  him  10  drops  of  pus  by  the  mouth. 
On  the  24th,  the  wound  was  clean  and  granulating  nicely." 

Case  ii.  Dr.  E.  F.  Mills,  326  East  58th  Street,  New  York 
City,  reports  the  following  case :  "  E.  K.,  female,  age  19  years, 
came  to  my  clinic  suffering  with  one  of  the  most  severe  puru- 
lent infections  I  had  ever  seen.  In  the  right  forearm,  lower 
third,  there  were  a  number  of  large  pustules,  from  which  there 
was  a  thick  yellow  discharge.  Inflammation  quickly  ascended 
the  arm,  infecting  the  whole  area.  The  lower  arm  was  an 
oedematous  boggy  mass  with  multiple  openings  discharging 


98  AUTOTHERAPY 

pus.  Patient  anemic  and  poorly  nourished.  The  treatment 
consisted  of  antiseptic  cleansing  and  aseptic  dressing,  usual 
for  these  conditions.  This  was  continued  for  five  days,  but  it 
did  not  result  in  improvement.  I  then  decided  to  try  Dr.  Dun- 
can's autotherapeutic  treatment.  Accordingly,  I  quietly  laid 
aside  one  of  the  cotton  wipes  saturated  with  pus.  When  she 
had  gone,  I  placed  this  in  four  ounces  of  sterile  water.  The 
next  day — Friday — I  gave  her  a  2  drachm  vial  of  this  water, 
and  directed  10  drops  to  be  taken  every  three  hours  in  a  little 
water.  When  she  came  in  on  Monday,  the  greatest  improve- 
ment had  taken  place.  The  pus  had  dried  up.  The  oedema 
had  disappeared.  The  area  of  the  skin  w'as  very  red,  but  she 
had  a  handsomely  shaped  arm  and  wrist.  She  came  once  more, 
the  second  day  following,  for  observation,  when  the  case  was 
discharged  cured.  Amputation  has  been  performed  for  a  very 
much  less  severe  condition.  I  never  saw  another  remedy  act 
so  quickly  and  beautifully  in  my  life.    It  is  dependable." 

Case  12.  Dr.  P.  A.  Ela,  of  East  Douglas,  Mass.,  reports 
the  following  case  treated  successfully :  "  A  young  man  had 
caught  his  hand  in  a  machine :  the  flesh  was  torn  and  loosened 
from  the  greater  part  of  the  hand  and  three  fingers,  requiring 
many  sutures  and  the  removal  of  many  pieces  of  bone.  Dirt 
and  cotton  lint  were  imbedded  in  the  tissues.  On  the  second 
day  following,  having  read  an  article  on  the  subject  of  Auto- 
therapy by  Dr.  Duncan,  in  the  New  York  Medical  Journal  of 
December  14  and  21,  1912,  I  began  giving  the  patient  auto- 
therapeutic treatment.  I  took  the  discharge  from  an  old  grimy 
handkerchief  that  covered  the  wound  when  he  came  for  treat- 
ment. At  this  time  the  hand  looked  like  a  puflFed  pin-cushion, 
and  the  fingers  like  dark  colored  sausages.  Medication  was 
started  on  the  i6th.  On  the  25th  the  swelling  had  nearly  all 
disappeared ;  by  this  time  there  was  a  free  discharge  of  thin 
clear  yellowish  serum,  but  no  pus.  In  a  few  days  the  dis- 
charge stopped,  and  the  wound  promptly  healed  without  fur- 
ther complication.  On  the  first  night  before  this  treatment 
was  begun  it  was  necessary  to  give  him  a  hypodermic  of  mor- 
phine, but  this  was  not  necessary  after  the  unmodified  toxin- 
complex  was  given.  No  antiseptics  were  applied  after  the 
first  dressing.  On  every  other  day  a  solution  of  pus  was  given 
by  the  mouth.    I  have  been  using  the  Sherman  stock  vaccines 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS        99 

for  over  a  year,  but  have  seen  no  such  rapid  improvement. 
The  special  characteristic  of  this  treatment  is  the  quick  relief 
of  pain,  and  the  rapid  reduction  of  swelling." 

Case  13.  Professor  W.  H.  Freeman  reports  the  following 
case :  "  Patient,  female,  came  to  me  with  a  carbuncle  on  the 
index  finger  of  the  right  hand.  She  had  been  in  delicate  health 
since  her  first  child  was  born.  The  finger  and  hand  were 
swollen  to  large  proportions  and  were  tender  and  painful.  The 
forearm  was  much  swollen  and  the  glands  of  the  axilla  were 
involved,  with  a  temperature  of  103  °  F.  The  lymphatics  were 
streaked  up  past  the  elbow.  The  parts  were  freely  lanced  and 
the  usual  medication  for  such  conditions  given,  but  still  the 
infection  and  swelling  increased  for  several  days.  I  took  a 
drop  of  pus  from  the  wound,  triturated  it  with  sugar  of  milk, 
and  placed  it  on  her  tongue.  In  six  hours  the  pain  ceased.  In 
twenty-four  hours,  the  red  line  marking  the  lymphatics  had 
disappeared  and  the  wound  took  on  a  healthy  appearance,  tem- 
perature 99°  F.  In  forty-eight  hours  healthy  granulations  had 
made  their  appearance.  In  sixty  hours,  healthy  granulations 
covered  the  whole  area.  She  made  an  uneventful  recovery. 
Dr.  Duncan's  toxins  are  the  most  successful  vaccines  ever  used 
in  medicine." 

Case  14.  Dr.  Alexander  Vertes,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  re- 
ports the  following  case :  "  Patient,  night  watchman,  had  car- 
buncles and  boils  almost  all  of  his  life.  He  consulted  me 
December,  191 1.  After  lancing  a  carbuncle  on  his  arm,  I 
prepared  a  weak  dilution  from  his  pus  which  I  gave  him  in- 
ternally. The  parts  healed  promptly,  of  course,  but  that  he 
has  had  no  more  lesions  seems  remarkable.  I  am  using  Auto- 
therapy in  my  practice,  when  it  is  appHcable,  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  other  medication,  because  it  gives  me  results  no  other 
medication  has  given." 

Case  15.  Dr.  J.  A.  Archigouni,  of  New  York  City,  reports 
the  following  case :  "  Patient,  male,  age  35  years,  had  multiple 
abscesses  following  typhoid  fever.  The  patient  was  pro- 
foundly septic,  and  exuded  pus  at  fourteen  openings.  Pro- 
fessor Wm.  Todd  Helmuth  was  called,  and  pronounced  the 
case  hopeless.  Dr.  John  Thompson,  surgeon,  was  also  called 
to  see  the  case.  He  opened  several  deep  pockets  of  pus.  Pro- 
fessor George  F.  Laidlaw,  was  then  called  in  and  referred  me 


loo  AUTOTHERAPY 

to  Dr.  Duncan  for  autotherapeuttic  treatment.  After  the  first 
injection  of  his  toxins  the  whole  aspect  of  the  case  was 
changed.  The  patient  had  exuded  over  a  gallon  of  pus.  This 
free  discharge  materially  lessened  after  each  injection  and 
under  its  continued  use  the  patient  made  a  complete  recovery." 

Case  i6.  Dr.  J.  W.  King,  of  62  Main  Street.,  Bradford, 
Pa.,  reports  the  following  case  successfully  treated  by  him: 
"  Patient,  male,  60  years,  had  a  mass  of  abscesses  from  the 
axilla  to  the  wrist.  Under  the  usual  remedies  the  patient 
grew  weaker,  and  his  end  seemed  close  at  hand,  when  I  pre- 
pared pus  according  to  your  method,  and  in  twenty-four  hours, 
marked  improvement  was  noticed.  He  made  a  complete  re- 
covery under  its  continual  use.  The  patient  has  remained  well 
(now  over  three  years)." 

Case  17.  Dr.  J.  Hubley  Schall,*  a  surgeon  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  reports  the  following:  "I  tried  the  unmodified  toxm- 
complex  on  one  case  of  severe  furuncles.  One  dose  consisting 
of  a  few  drops  of  pus  mixed  with  sugar  of  milk,  was  given 
by  the  mouth.  I  watched  this  case  with  much  interest,  and 
noted  that  it  made  better  progress  towards  complete  recovery 
than  eleven  other  cases  treated  by  other  means." 

Case  18.  Dr.  Sumner,  of  Saharanpore,  India,  reports  the  fol- 
lowing: "  Patient,  a  European  Railway  Guard,  on  the  night  of 
operation  for  hernia,  managed  to  carelessly  saturate  his  dress- 
ings with  urine  and  again  next  day ;  the  result  was  the  most 
violent  cellulitis  extending  all  over  the  hypogastrium  and  the 
scrotum  on  that  side.  The  two  lower  stitches  were  removed 
and  unmodified  toxins  prepared  and  injected.  The  cellulitis 
subsided  rapidly.  The  skin,  however,  had  been  undermined 
all  round,  in  some  places  as  far  as  four  inches.  Slight  thin 
discharge  went  on  for  four  weeks,  probably  kept  up  by  deep 
stitch  irritation.  The  final  result  was  that  all  the  operation 
wound  had  healed,  except  the  lower  one  inch  which  granulated 
up.  There  was  no  sloughing  of  the  skin,  which  under  any 
other  treatment  would  have  been  bound  to  happen  with  cord 
and  testicles  and  belly  wall  complications." 

* "  Prophylaxis  and  Treatment  of  Furuncles,"  by  J.  Hubley  Schall, 
A.B.,  M.D.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy, 
May,  1912. 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      loi 

Case  19.  Dr.  Harvey  D.  Morris,  Port  Arthur,  Texas,  re- 
ports the  following  case :  "  Patient  male,  negro,  age  38  years, 
came  to  the  office  with  a  cut  on  the  index  finger,  made  with 
a  knife  while  slicing  raw  meat.  The  wound  had  closed,  but 
the  hand  and  forearm  were  enormously  swollen  and  the  patient 
was  suffering  a  great  deal  of  pain;  temperature  102°  F. 
Blood  under  the  microscope  showed  a  high  leukocytosis.  An 
incision  was  made  on  the  finger  and  above  the  wrist,  from 
which  the  pus  spurted  out.  Ten  drops  of  pus  were  placed  in 
four  ounces  of  water  and  well  shaken.  One-half  of  this  was 
given  him  in  the  office  and  the  remaining  half  was  given  in  six 
hours.  The  next  day  the  patient  returned  stating  that  he  had 
felt  much  better.  The  same  treatment  was  repeated.  In 
sixty  hours,  or  at  his  next  visit,  the  wound  was  practically 
healed.  A  great  deal  of  stiffness  remained  in  the  hand  and 
wrist  for  some  time,  but  this  finally  cleared  up  with  massage 
and  passive  exercise.  No  other  medication  was  given.  This 
is  only  one  of  many  brilliant  results  I  have  had  with  similar 
cases  treated  with  Autotherapy." 

Case  20.  Patient,  baby,  age  18  months,  had  infected  his 
little  finger  eight  weeks  before  being  brought  under  my  medi- 
cal care.  Four  physicians  had  told  the  parents  that  the  mem- 
ber would  have  to  be  amputated  to  save  its  life.  The  finger 
was  swollen  to  large  proportions ;  the  wound  had  been  open  to 
the  bone,  exposing  the  three  phalanges.  The  sides  of  the  wound 
were  purple,  and  exuded  a  small  amount  of  thin  serous  san- 
guineus discharge.  The  child  was  in  poor  physical  condition 
and  suffered  so  that  it  slept  but  little.  The  wound  was  cleansed 
with  boiled  water  and  sterile  gauze  applied.  In  twenty-four 
hours  this  was  removed  and  the  stained  parts  placed  in  an 
ounce  bottle  of  water,  and  thoroughly  shaken:  the  decanted 
fluid  was  then  given  to  the  patient  to  drink.  The  pain  ceased 
within  a  few  hours,  and  the  child  slept  the  night  following. 
In  24  hours  the  wound  was  practically  free  from  exudate. 
Within  49  hours  it  took  on  a  healthy  appearance.  In  72  hours 
healthy  granulations  covered  the  infected  area.  In  two  weeks 
the  patient  was  discharged  cured :  there  were  still  ankylosis  of 
the  finger.  The  infecting  microorganisms  were  the  streptococcus 
short  chain,  and  the  staphylococcus  pyogenes  aureus. 


102  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  following  case  was  reported  by  Dr.  J.  Wilford  Allen, 
before  the  "  Official  Committee  "  appointed  by  the  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  New  York  to  investi- 
gate and  report  on  Autotherapy. 

Case  21.  "  The  patient,  a  young  man,  was  first  seen  by  me 
suffering  with  an  orchitis  resulting  from  gonorrhea  contracted 
four  months  previously.  He  was  in  bed  with  a  temperature  of 
104°  F.  The  testicle  had  ruptured,  leaving  a  sinus,  in  which 
was  a  gauze  drain  an  inch  long.  The  inflammation  was 
rapidly  extending,  and  peritonitis  was  at  hand.  Dr.  Buck 
Carleton,  a  specialist  in  Genito-Urinary  diseases  was  called  to 
see  the  case.  He  recommended  immediate  castration  to  save 
the  patient's  life.  The  patient  was  in  great  pain,  and  appar- 
ently growing  worse ;  operation  was  refused.  Other  pre- 
scribed methods  of  treatment  gave  no  relief.  I  then  decided  to 
see  what  Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapy  would  do  for  him.  Ac- 
cordingly I  placed  the  drain  in  an  ounce  of  water;  it  was 
thoroughly  shaken,  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty- four  hours, 
after  which  time  it  was  filtered  and  20  minims  of  the  bacteria- 
free  filtrate  injected  hypodermatically  over  the  biceps  muscle. 
In  twenty-four  hours,  the  pus  had  disappeared  as  had  also 
the  pain.  The  patient  said  he  was  feeling  fine.  Three  more 
injections  four  days  apart  completely  cured  the  case  except 
for  a  small  induration  at  the  seat  of  the  former  infection." 

The  rapid  arrest  of  suppuration  and  the  reduction  of  pain 
are  characteristically  autotherapeutic  in  excessively  virulent 
infections. 

Case  22.  Dr.  Andrew  B.  Gloninger,  of  Lebanon,  Pa.,  re- 
ports the  following  case :  "  Patient  a  young  man,  farm  laborer, 
living  in  a  wretched  mountain  cabin.  I  found  him  tympanitic 
and  profoundly  septic.  It  was  impossible  to  move  him,  and 
though  the  surroundings  could  not  have  been  more  unfavor- 
able for  surgical  work,  we  put  him  on  the  kitchen  table  and 
operated.  I  found  the  appendix  and  a  large  portion  of  the 
omentum  gangrenous,  and  a  quantity  of  thin  serous  pus  free 
in  the  abdominal  cavity.  After  the  operation  his  pulse  was 
weak  and  thready  and  he  looked  as  though  he  would  not  sur- 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      103 

vive  the  day.  I  gave  him  a  half  teaspoonful  of  pus  per  os, 
while  under  anaesthesia,  and  took  some  to  the  office  from  which 
I  made  a  filtrate  according  to  your  method.  I  sent  this  back  to 
the  nurse  with  instructions  to  give  him  one  c.c.  every  three 
hours  per  os.  The  next  day  his  temperature  was  normal,  and 
he  made  an  uneventful  recovery." 

The  writer  commends  and  emphasizes  the  importance  of 
giving  pus  by  the  mouth  while  the  patient  is  under  anaesthesia. 
It  is  good  autotherapeutic  treatment,  and  should  not  be  over- 
looked. At  times  it  is  all  that  is  required  to  cause  the  repair 
of  the  tissues  to  take  place  promptly  with  no  indication  of  pus, 
in  a  formerly  purulent  condition. 

"  Facts  speak  louder  than  words,  and  the  physician  who  lays 
aside  theoretical  preconceptions  so  as  to  collect  facts  with 
un jaundiced  eyes  and  unbiased  mind,  may  be  safely  left  to 
form  his  own  conclusions." 

Case  23.  Dr.  L.  G.  Phillips,  of  Pensacola,  Fla.,  reports  the 
following  case :  "  Patient,  mother  of  ten  children,  broke  out 
with  eruptions  in  the  second  week  of  typhoid  fever.  These 
changed  to  blisters  and  then  pustules,  and  the  skin  seemed  to 
raise  and  the  pustules  coalesce  until  they  were  great  patches, 
from  the  size  of  a  quarter  to  a  saucer.  They  became  black  and 
sloughed  and  finally  fell  out.  All  ten  children  came  down 
with  typhoid  and  did  well,  except  the  mother  who  stayed  up 
and  nursed  the  little  ones  until  she  fainted  with  exhaustion. 
She  was  sick  with  the  disease  for  more  than  a  week  before 
she  was  compelled  to  go  to  bed  despite  my  urgent  advice. 
Four  nurses  and  myself  did  our  full  duty.  The  scent  from  the 
mother  was  indescribably  foul.  The  skin  came  off  from  her 
shoulders,  hips,  sacrum,  a  portion  over  the  chest,  back  and 
thighs.  The  pus  each  day  filled  a  large  vessel.  She  was 
exceedingly  weak.  I  gave  her  several  drops  of  pus  on  sugar, 
four  doses,  two  hours  apart,  ten  days  ago,  and  repeated  four 
days  later,  and  the  change  is  most  wonderful.  She  will  get 
well." 

Case  24.    Dr.   John  C.   Parham,   Past  Assistant   Surgeon 


IQ4  AUTOTHERAPY 

United  States  Navy,  Charleston,  S.  C,  reports  the  following 
cases :  "  My  case  records  show  many  cases.  In  three  of  these 
cases  of  carbuncle  the  infection  was  seen  early,  but  after  the 
multiple  foci  showed  pus.  Two  of  them  were  on  the  upper 
lip  and  adjacent  cheek  and  were  not  opened  as  extensively 
as  they  would  have  been  otherwise,  neither  were  they  cau- 
terized. The  pus  from  these  infections  was  added  to  50  c.c. 
of  sterile  distilled  water  and  allowed  to  stand  with  occasional 
agitation  for  twenty- four  hours.  After  passage  through  a 
Berkefeld  filter  2  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  was  administered  per 
hypodermic.  Resolution  set  in,  and  the  day  after  injection  the 
appearance  of  the  lesion  was  such  as  to  cause  me  to  doubt  the 
accuracy  of  my  diagnosis.  In  neither  case  was  a  second  in- 
jection necessary.  The  third  and  fourth  cases  were  seen  after 
full  development  and  were  incised  and  treated  as  were  the 
first  cases.  The  well-known  very  high  mortality  of  carbuncle 
of  the  upper  lip  needs  no  comment.  I  feel  that  I  should  state 
that  previous  experience  in  similar  infections  treated  by  auto- 
genous filtrates  exclusively,  justified  my  actions  in  not  incising 
and  extensively  cauterizing  these  lesions.  Marked  lessening 
of  pain  and  discomfort,  together  with  rapid  resolution  and 
regeneration  of  the  affected  areas,  is  noted  within  twelve  to 
eighteen  hours.  Usually  two  or  three  injections  are  necessary 
in  treating  a  severe  case,  but  rarely  does  a  good-sized  furuncle 
appear  after  the  first  filtrate  is  administered." 

Case  25.  Dr.  Harvey  D.  Morris,  Port  Arthur,  Texas,  re- 
ports the  following  cases:  i.  "Female,  abscesses  of  the  ear, 
had  been  treated  eight  days  before  I  saw  her.  Drain  from 
ear  placed  in  four  ounces  of  water,  well  shaken  and  put 
through  Berkefeld  filter.  Four  doses  of  twenty  minims  each 
were  given  hypodermatically  and  case  cured.  Patiertt  reported 
the  day  after  first  injection,  that  last  night  was  the  first  time 
she  had  been  able  to  sleep  for  some  time. 

No.  2.  (Morris)  :  "  Male  laborer  in  oil  refinery.  Multiple 
boils.  Had  been  treated  two  weeks  before  he  came  to  me. 
Ten  drops  of  pus  were  prepared  in  the  usual  manner,  patient 
well  after  four  doses  which  were  given  one  day  apart.  Have 
also  had  numerous  other  cases  of  boils  with  same  results. 
In  conclusion  will  say  that  Autotherapy  has  always  proved 
prompt  in  its  effect  and  decided  in  its  cure." 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      105 

Case  26.  Dr.  Lewis  J.  Muthart,  Jermyn,  Pa.,  reports  the 
following  case :  "  Patient,  male,  had  a  large  carbuncle  of  the 
right  ear  which  was  discharging  about  a  cupful  of  pus  per 
day.  The  infection  continued  spreading  to  surrounding  tis- 
sues, the  man  growing  weaker  daily.  He  refused  complete 
incision  of  the  infected  mass,  so  I  decided  to  use  Dr.  Duncan's 
method  of  Autotherapy  in  this  case.  I  gave  him  one  drop  of 
pus  in  a  little  water  every  hour  for  four  doses.  Ten  hours 
after  the  last  dose  of  the  unmodified  toxins  by  the  mouth  the 
pain  ceased.  That  night  he  had  the  first  good  night's  sleep  in 
two  weeks.  In  four  days  that  carbuncle  was  clean  and  clear 
with  healthy  granulation  springing  up  everywhere.  Auto- 
therapy is  an  immense  addition  to  our  therapeutic  resources." 

The  Medical  Sentinel  of  June,  1914,  contains  an  article 
under  the  title  of  "  Autotherapy,"  by  Dr.  J.  J.  Sellwood,  of  the 
Sellwood  and  Besson  General  Hospital  Training  School  for 
Nurses.    Dr.  Sellwood  says : 

"  The  autotherapeutic  technic  we  use  is  as  follows :  One 
teaspoonful  of  pus  is  thoroughly  shaken  with  two  ounces  of 
water.  The  mixture  is  then  passed  through  a  Berkefeld  filter 
and  of  the  resultant  filtrate,  i  c.c.  is  injected  subcutaneously. 
The  result  is  immediate  and  most  gratifying,  both  to  physician 
and  patient.  The  method  is  of  particular  value  both  in  acute 
and  chronic  sepsis. 

"  In  this  process  of  filtration,  the  infectious  element  of  pus 
is  eradicated  and  the  free  toxins  used,  just  as  when  given  by 
the  mouth,  the  lymphatics  digest  the  infectious  element  and  set 
free  in  the  general  circulation  the  toxins,  which  develop  anti- 
toxins. The  following  cases  illustrate  the  two  methods  of 
treatment. 

Case  27.  "  Otitis  media  and  mastoiditis  following  measles. 
Boy  eight  years  old — temperature  102°  F.,  marked  oedema 
over  the  mastoid,  ear  standing  far  from  the  head.  Paracentesis 
tympani  done  with  fair  drainage  and  amelioration  of  the 
symptoms  for  two  days,  after  which  he  became  worse.  Under 
local  anaesthesia  an  incision  was  made  down  to  the  mastoid. 
The  next  day  there  was  a  free  discharge  of  pus  from  the 


io6  AUTOTHERAPY 

incision.  Five  drops  of  this  pus  were  well  shaken  in  a  half 
ounce  of  water,  and  one  teaspoonful  of  this  mixture  was  given 
every  fifteen  minutes  for  four  doses.  The  next  day  there  was 
a  very  scanty  serous  discharge,  several  drops  of  which  was 
given  as  before.  The  next  day  the  wound  was  dry  and  the 
patient  quickly  recovered  with  normal  hearing.  We  are 
certain  this  patient  would  have  needed  a  mastoid  operation 
had  the  above  treatment  not  been  used." 

"  It  is  evident  the  area  of  this  infection  was  walled  oflF 
so  that  none  of  the  infectious  element  escaped  through  the 
eustachian  tube." 

Case  28.  "  The  second  case  is  of  marked  interest,  tuber- 
culosis of  the  knee  joint  in  the  early  stages.  An  incision  was 
made  which  by  reason  of  severe  necrotic  area  and  patient's 
general  condition  resulted  in  post-operative  infection.  For  a 
time  it  looked  as  if  amputation  might  be  necessary.  For  two 
months  his  temperature  ranged  from  102-104°  F.  at  least  once 
daily.  After  using  the  hypodermic  method  of  Autotherapy 
described  above  the  temperature  became  normal  in  four  days. 
The  injection  was  then  repeated  and  the  patiient  became 
normal." 

Dr.  Sellwood  says  further :  "  Many  more  cases  could  be 
cited.  These  are  simply  types  not  only  of  the  cases,  but  the 
results." 

Case  29.  Dr.  J.  M.  Curtner,  of  Vincennes,  Indiana,  re- 
ported the  following  case :  "  Patient  had  a  severe  pyogenic 
infection  of  the  hand  following  an  injury  by  a  tack.  The  dis- 
charge disappeared  on  the  third  day  after  treatment,  and  the 
patient  was  discharged  on  the  fifth  day.  But  one  treatment 
was  given." 

Case  30.  The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 
Patient,  male,  age  45  years,  carpenter,  Mr.  Yachmuck,  in- 
jured the  little  finger  of  his  right  hand,  following  his  vocation, 
as  a  carpenter.  The  company's  physician  treated  him  for  a 
few  days  but  the  infection  grew  steadily  worse  and  he  changed 
to  a  private  physician.  His  finger  continued  to  grow  pro- 
gressively worse  until  the  physician  recommended  amputation 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      107 

as  the  only  means  of  saving  his  hand  and  possibly  his  life. 
He  changed  again  to  a  third  physician.  He  was  not  ready  to 
submit  to  amputation  and  talked  the  matter  over  with  several 
of  his  friends,  one  of  whom  happened  to  be  a  former  patient 
of  the  writer.  He  came  to  the  writer  with  absolutely  no  con- 
fidence that  his  finger  could  be  saved.  When  seen  the  first 
time  the  finger  was  enormously  swollen ;  there  was  an  opening 
in  the  finger  two-thirds  of  its  length  the  result  of  an  incision 
by  one  of  the  physicians  who  had  attended  him ;  the  hand  was 
puffed  and  lymphatics  streaked  past  the  elbow.  The  culture 
of  the  microorganisms  revealed  almost  pure  culture  of  staphylo- 
coccus pyogenes  aureus.  The  patient  said  he  had  not  slept  for 
two  weeks.  His  tongue  was  coated  and  he  had  no  appetite. 
Treatment :  About  ten  drops  of  pus  were  obtained  from  the 
wound  and  the  gauze.  This  was  placed  in  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water.  This  was  thoroughly  shaken  and  half  of  it  colored 
with  liquid  peptonoids  was  given  to  the  patient  to  drink  at  one 
dose.  The  other  half  was  placed  in  an  ounce  bottle  and  filled 
with  ethyl  alcohol  and  this  was  given  him  with  instructions  to 
take  10  drops  every  four  hours.  When  the  patient  was  told 
he  would  have  a  good  night's  sleep  (that  night)  he  frankly 
admitted  that  he  did  not  believe  it.  The  wound  was  dressed 
merely  with  sterile  gauze.  When  seen  the  next  day  he  was 
loth  to  admit  that  he  slept  from  7  o'clock  p.m.  until  9  a.m. 
without  waking.  The  wound  was  much  improved  and  he  was 
without  pain.  He  made  an  uneventful  recovery  and  was  dis- 
charged at  the  end  of  the  sixth  day  as  so  far  recovered  as  to 
require  no  further  treatments. 

Case  31.  Six  months  after  the  above  patient  had  recovered, 
Henry  Segal,  a  neighbor  of  Yachmuck's,  presented  himself  for 
treatment  for  an  infected  finger.  Segal  had  gone  through 
much  the  same  treatment  as  had  Yachmuck  and  when  four 
physicians  recommended  that  his  finger  be  amputated,  Yach- 
muck referred  him  to  the  writer.  The  third  finger  was  severely 
infected  following  a  frost  bite ;  there  was  a  burrowing  super- 
ficial cellulitis  over  two-thirds  of  the  whole  finger  and  the 
tip  end  of  this  was  where  the  infection  had  centered.  His 
finger  had  been  lanced  and  he  had  been  suffering  greatly  for 
over  three  weeks.  The  microorganisms  of  this  pus  showed  a 
mixed  infection  staphylococcus  and  streptococcus.     However 


lo8  AUTOTHERAPY 

there  was  so  little  exudate  that  the  writer  was  compelled  to 
employ  the  washings  from  the  superficial  skin  that  were  re- 
moved from  the  finger,  together  with  the  small  portion  of 
stained  gauze  directly  over  the  wound.  The  whole  finger  was 
then  wiped  oflF  with  small  pledgets  of  cotton  that  had  been 
dipped  into  distilled  water.  The  finger-nail  was  attached  only 
by  superficial  skin.  The  superficial  skin,  the  nail,  the  small 
portion  of  stained  dressing  and  the  half  an  ounce  of  distilled 
water  used  in  washing  the  finger,  and  the  pledget  of  cotton 
were  placed  in  an  ounce  of  distilled  water  and  thoroughly 
shaken.  One-half  of  this  was  decanted  and  given  to  the 
patient  to  drink  at  one  dose.  The  bottle  was  filled  with 
ethyl  alcohol  95  per  cent,  and  well  shaken.  The  decanted  fluid 
was  given  him  with  instructions  to  take  10  drops  every  four 
hours.  The  finger  was  dressed  with  sterile  gauze  only.  The 
patient  said  he  had  not  slept  for  over  ten  days.  The  follow- 
ing day  he  reported  that  he  slept  soundly  until  four  o'clock 
A.M.,  and  when  he  awoke  there  was  some  pain  in  the  finger. 
This  drop  treatment  was  continued  for  six  days  when  the 
patient  returned  to  work.  He  was  told  to  report  every  other 
day  for  a  week  when  the  case  was  discharged  as  cured. 

Case  32.  Patient,  female,  age  35,  stuck  her  finger  with  a 
pin  and  severe  infection  followed.  This  proved  to  be  due  to 
streptococcus.  She  was  given  the  washings  from  the  dressings 
and  a  few  drops  of  thin  pus  from  the  wound  by  the  mouth  in 
one  dose,  and  the  finger  dressed  in  sterile  gauze.  She  slept 
well  during  that  night.  Within  forty-eight  hours  after  the 
treatment,  a  plug  of  necrotic  tissue  about  the  size  of  a  pea  was 
removed  through  a  small  opening  in  the  end  of  the  finger. 
This  was  placed  in  an  ounce  of  alcohol,  thoroughly  shaken  and 
given  her  to  take  in  doses  of  10  drops,  three  times  a  day.  At 
the  end  of  the  fourth  day  the  patient  was  discharged  as  hav- 
ing so  far  recovered  as  to  require  no  further  treatment.  She 
was  told  to  take  10  drops  once  daily  for  several  days  longer. 

Case  33.  Patient,  male,  age  36,  had  come  from  St.  Mary's 
Hospital,  Hoboken,  where  he  had  been  treated  for  four  weeks 
for  a  severe  infection  of  the  right  index  finger.  The  writer 
had  often  amputated  such  fingers  before  he  discovered  Auto- 
therapy and  was  interested  to  see  just  what  the  latter  would 
do  in  a  condition  of  this  kind,  where  the  life  of  the  tissue 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      109 

adjacent  to  the  distal  phalanx  seemed  to  have  disappeared. 
The  patient  was  given  about  five  drops  of  pus  by  the  mouth 
and  the  finger  thoroughly  cleansed  with  distilled  water  and 
dressed  with  sterile  gauze.  Examination  of  the  pus  showed  a 
mixed  staphylococcus  and  streptococcus  infection.  Improve- 
ment was  prompt.  The  patient  seemed  better,  ate  better,  the 
pain  was  not  so  severe  but  the  wound  did  not  seem  to  heal  as 
it  should.  At  the  end  of  four  days  under  ethyl  chloride,  the 
small  opening  was  enlarged  with  the  scalpel.  The  color  of 
the  tissues  improved  showing  there  was  still  vitality.  At 
the  sixth  daily  dressing  a  probe  in  the  wound  disclosed  the 
fact  that  the  distal  phalanx  appeared  to  be  separated  from 
the  tissues.  With  a  small  pair  of  artery  clips  the  bone  was 
firmly  grasped,  the  patient  jerked  his  hand  away  and  the 
phalanx  was  removed  completely.  The  finger  then  healed 
promptly  and  at  the  end  of  ten  days  from  the  time  the 
patient  first  presented  himself,  he  was  discharged  as  cured. 
This  patient  received  a  drop  or  two  of  pus  every  day  during 
the  treatment. 

Cases  like  these  could  be  cited  almost  indefinitely  from 
the  surgical  dispensary  where  the  writer,  as  visiting  surgeon, 
attended  daily,  for  the  purpose  of  accumulating  data  that 
would  be  convincing  to  physicians  who  would  read  his  medical 
articles  and  this  book. 

Case  34.  Dr.  William  H.  Freeman,  of  East  New  York,  had 
the  following  experience  with  an  infection  that  the  writer  has 
duplicated  several  times ;  his  case  was  as  follows : 

Patient,  policeman,  who  came  to  him  suffering  from  a  felon. 
He  gave  him  the  usual  autotherapeutic  treatment  of  a  few 
drops  of  pus  by  the  mouth  and  was  surprised  to  find  the  pa- 
tient much  worse,  not  having  slept  any  the  night  following  the 
treatment.  Dr.  Freeman  recognized  that  possibly  the  dose 
had  been  too  large  and  the  pain  and  sleeplessness  the  night 
before  was  due  possibly  to  severe  negative  phase,  and  he  ac- 
cordingly reduced  the  dose,  giving  him  about  Mo  of  a  drop 
but  still  the  patient  complained  of  excessive  pain  and  sleep- 
lessness.    The  dose  was  then  decreased  to  the  sixth  dilution 


no  AUTOTHERAPY 

and  given  to  the  patient  without  knowledge  of  what  he  was 
taking,  with  the  same  aggravation  of  symptoms.  I  do  not 
recall  how  Dr.  Freeman  finished  the  treatment,  but  in  simi- 
lar cases  treated  by  the  writer,  he  has  found  it  necessary  to 
properly  control  the  condition,  to  resort  to  the  thirtieth 
dilution  and  at  times  even  higher.  This  class  of  patients 
presenting  a  severe  form  of  anaphylaxis,  are  not  common  but 
they  should  be  recognized  when  they  are  seen.  It  would  be 
but  natural  for  the  physician  unfamiliar  with  the  treatment  of 
anaphylactic  cases  to  interpret  the  treatment  to  a  failure  in 
this  case.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  attention  is  drawn  to  it 
at  the  present  time.  In  treating  patients  suffering  with  purulent 
infections  and  those  suffering  with  other  infections  as  well, 
there  are  two  things  to  be  kept  in  mind.  First,  they  will  not 
improve  as  they  should  if  we  do  not  give  them  sufficient  medi- 
cation. Then  we  should  be  careful  we  do  not  give  them  too 
much  for  a  severe  aggravation  or  negative  phase  will  set  in — 
this  is  usually  to  be  avoided — a  patient  suffering  with  a 
severe  aggravation  will  appear  to  be  worse  to  one  inexperi- 
enced with  this  method  of  therapy — when  this  is  severe,  resort 
to  active  elimination  immediately,  as  hot  tubbing,  purging 
with  calomel  and  salts.  If  the  aggravation  is  very  severe,  ^ 
grain  of  morphine  should  be  given.  When  medication  is  again 
continued,  a  much  smaller  dose  should  be  administered,  al- 
though as  explained  in  the  chapter  under  the  title  of  "  The 
Filtrate,"  another  dose  should  not  be  given  until  the  ameliora- 
tion of  symptoms  under  the  former  dose  has  about  ceased. 

The  writer  reports  the  following  case: 

Case  35.  Patient,  male,  age  36  years,  ambulance  driver, 
applied  for  the  correction  of  an  exaggerated  Roman  nose.  It 
was  not  of  the  distinct  commercial  or  Hebrew  type,  but  was 
more  of  a  beak  or  prominence  in  the  middle  of  the  bridge.  Hav- 
ing corrected  many  of  these  deformities  with  no  macroscopical 
evidence  resulting  from  the  operation,  he  was  operated,  having 
as  the  result  of  the  operation,  a  Grecian  type  of  nose.  Before 
the  wound  healed  he  received  an  injury  to  the  nose  that 
opened  the  wound  and  infected  it.  The  wound  was  closed 
and  drained  from  the  inside  of  the  nose  and  at  the  end  of 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      iii 

twenty-four  hours  a  filtrate  was  made  from  the  exudate  that 
had  soaked  into  the  drain.  Two  injections  were  all  that  were 
needed  to  cause  the  wound  to  heal  promptly. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Boyce,  Professor  of  Gynecology,  New  York  Medi- 
cal College  and  Hospital  for  Women,  has  been  kind  enough 
to  select  this  case  from  many  she  treated  successfully  by 
means  of  Autotherapy,  for  the  benefit  of  the  readers  of  this 
book. 

Case  36.  "  Mrs.  R.,  68  years  of  age — pyemia  patient,  ill 
about  three  weeks.  We  had  opened  and  drained  fifty  small 
abscesses  and  several  large  and  deep-seated,  necessitating  the 
use  of  gas  anaesthesia  for  incision  and  drainage.  We  were 
rather  hopeless  of  the  recovery  of  the  patient  at  the  time  and 
decided  to  use  Autotherapy.  A  powder  composed  of  pus  mixed 
with  sugar  of  milk,  making  about  the  6  X  trituration  was 
given  every  eight  hours  for  three  doses.  Then  once  daily  for 
three  days.  In  forty-eight  hours  we  were  unable  to  obtain 
more  pus,  and  the  patient  left  the  hospital  in  a  month's  time. 
I  have  always  hesitated  to  report  this  case  and  others  because 
it  sounded  too  spectacular.  However  the  fact  and  the  patient 
still  remain." 

The  quick  cessation  of  pain  and  the  immediate  reduction 
of  swelling  are  characteristic  of  this  treatment.  The  more 
virulent  or  aggressive  are  the  infecting  microorganisms,  the 
quicker  will  be  the  response  and  cure.  The  pain  usually 
leaves  within  a  few  hours  as  if  by  the  action  of  morphine. 
Free  drainage  and  autoseptic  technic  will  cause  almost  any 
purulent  infection  to  heal  quickly.  The  diagnosis  of  the  in- 
fecting microorganism  is  often  unnecessary  as  far  as  a  cure 
is  concerned.  Use  nothing  on  these  wounds  but  normal  saline 
(boiled  water  will  do)  and  sterile  gauze  (boiled  gauze  will 
do).  The  technic  of  the  application  of  the  autotherapeutic 
principle  varies  within  wide  limits,  and  if  the  technic  out- 
lined is  closely  followed,  there  is  no  danger  in  its  use,  or  at 


112  AUTOTHERAPY 

least  no  more  danger  than  in  the  use  of  the  vaccines.     Chil- 
dren should  receive  proportionately  smaller  doses. 

Metastatic  Boils 

In  recent  years  many  cases  of  metastatic  boils  have  been 
reported,  especially  in  connection  with  paranephritic  abscesses. 
By  means  of  Autotherapy  we  are  often  able  not  only  to  treat 
boils  successfully,  but  to  immunize  the  patient  to  the  micro- 
organisms in  the  deeper  foci  of  infection. 

Facial  Furunculosis 

In  facial  localization,  in  connection  with  boils  on  other  parts 
of  the  body.  Autotherapy  comes  to  the  rescue  of  the  surgeon 
for  if  those  on  the  remote  parts  are  treated  autotherapeutically, 
those  on  the  face  will  seldom  or  never  come  to  maturity. 

Times  without  number  have  boils  in  one  part  of  the  body 
been  treated  successfully  autotherapeutically,  and  simultane- 
ously boils  on  other  parts  of  the  body  would  tend  to  dry  up, 
as  on  the  face.  Even  when  those  on  the  face  are  about 
to  rupture  they  tend  to  dry  up  with  a  final  evacuation  of  a 
tiny  plug  of  inspissated  pus.  The  appearance  of  carbuncles 
in  connection  with  diabetes  may  be  but  an  external  manifesta- 
tion of  an  internal  infection.  The  writer  has  had  but  little 
experience  in  treating  furunculosis  in  connection  with  diabetes, 
but  it  would  appear  that  these  patients  require  exceedingly 
small  doses  of  their  unmodified  toxins,  for  the  system  is  not 
in  condition  to  react  properly  to  a  material  dose. 

We  should  not  be  misled  in  making  a  wrong  diagnosis  of 
glycosuria  in  connection  with  carbuncles,  for  it  is  often  but 
of  a  transitory  nature  and  will  clear  up  quickly  when  the 
carbuncle  is  treated  autotherapeutically.  For  treatment  of 
Glycosuria  see  chapter  under  the  title  of  "  Serum  Therapy." 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      113 

Captain  B.  V.  Nesfield  of  Agra,  British  India,  F.R.C.S., 
Local  Chemical  Examiner,  a  former  pupil  of  Wright,  states 
in  the  Indian  Medical  Gazette  of  August  i,  1913,  page  307; 
and  in  1915,  page  471,  that  he  had  discovered  a  means  of  treat- 
ing septic  conditions  by  injecting  sterilized  pus;  he  also  states 
that  as  he  had  had  miserable  results  from  the  autovaccines, 
he  was  minded  to  sterilize  pus  and  inject  it  directly  into  the 
tissues.  He  first  used  heat  but  changed  to  carbolic  acid  i  to 
40;  he  developed  an  elaborate  technic  and  claims  permanent 
results  along  lines  advocated  by  the  writer  several  years 
previous.  He  states,  "  The  reason  for  using  sterilized  pus  in 
the  place  of  autogenous  and  other  vaccines,  is,  first,  the  sim- 
plicity and  cheapness;  second,  the  pus  is  truly  autogenous. 
This  is  not  so  when  the  vaccine  is  prepared  for  organisms 
grown  on  artificial  media,  for  the  organism  is  changed  by  such 
growth ;  third,  besides  bacteria^  pus  contains  toxins  and  anti- 
bodies, both  extremely  useful  for  therapeutic  inoculations." 
He  claims  to  have  cured  a  large  psoas  abscess  in  six  weeks ;  a 
multiple  deep  pyogenic  abscess  in  a  girl  seven  years  old,  well 
in  two  months.  In  empyema,  in  a  septic  breast  case,  the  sup- 
puration ceased  as  if  by  magic.  He  claims  also  he  has  cured 
and  ameliorated  several  cancers.  He  winds  up  his  article  by 
stating,  "  Pus  for  therapeutic  inoculation  seems  to  me  to  open 
a  very  large  field  for  practical  therapeutics.  I  have  found  it 
more  beneficial  than  vaccines,  etc.,  etc." 

Those  who  read  the  writer's  articles  published  in  the  Medical 
Record  and  the  New  York  Medical  Journal  or  any  one  of 
twelve  other  medical  articles  published  in  other  medical  jour- 
nals on  the  subject  years  previous  to  Dr.  Nesfield's  pubUshed 
articles,  cannot  fail  to  find  a  repetition  of  the  writer's  ideas, 
in  almost  his  words.  Not  only  this  but  his  prophecies  as  to  the 
future  use  of  this  work  are  in  places,  almost  identical  with  the 
words  employed  by  the  writer. 


114  AUTOTHERAPY 

If  after  the  proof  given  in  the  preceding  pages  as  to  the 
great  therapeutic  value  of  Autotherapy,  still  greater  confirma- 
tions is  required,  it  is  supplied  by  Dr.  Nesfield,  a  wholly 
independent  observer,  in  a  different  part  of  the  world,  who 
has  verified  completely  the  writer's  work.  His  position  is 
high  in  the  medical  world  and  for  this  reason  his  statements 
cannot  be  doubted. 

Acne  Vulgaris 

The  treatment  of  patients  suffering  with  acne  vulgaris  up 
to  the  present  time,  too  frequently  has  been  disappointing,  and 
we  have  often  been  mortified  to  find  our  treatment  apparently 
made  the  condition  grow  steadily  worse.  This  last  statement 
refers  particularly  to  patients  treated  with  vaccines. 

Acne  is  a  chronic  disease  and  experience  leads  unmis- 
takably to  the  conclusion  that  the  patient  is  often  suffering 
with  anaphylaxis;  that  is,  he  is  extremely  sensitive  to  the 
toxins;  so  sensitive  in  fact,  that  when  the  toxins  and  vaccines 
are  given  in  material  doses,  the  condition  becomes  aggravated. 
In  the  early  stages  of  the  development  of  Autotherapy,  this 
condition  of  aggravation  was  noted  in  a  number  of  cases  in 
which  the  patient  was  treated  by  a  subcutaneous  injection  of 
the  filtrate  made  from  a  dilution  of  pus  from  the  pustules,  or 
when  the  crude  material  was  given  by  the  mouth  in  the  manner 
described  in  the  chapter  on  "  Purulent  Infections." 

As  stated  in  the  chapter  under  the  heading,  "  Filtrate," 
anaphylaxis  is  often  controlled  by  exceedingly  small  doses 
of  the  sensitizing  agent. 

Illustrating  the  autotherapeutic  treatment  of  acne  by  means 
of  the  small  dose,  it  may  be  well  to  report  one  of  the  earlier 
cases  treated  in  this  manner,  together  with  the  conditions  that 
were  present  and  reasons  for  employing  it.  We  have  as  a 
precedent  for  giving  the  small  dose,  not  only  the  minimum 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      115 

dose  of  Pasteur,  but  the  use  of  the  well-known  minimum 
dose  employed  by  homoeopathic  physicians. 

Case  37.  Mrs.  S.,  age  32,  applied  for  treatment  suffering 
with  a  severe  case  of  disfiguring  acne.  The  pustules  were  all 
over  the  face  but  were  particularly  severe  on  the  forehead  and 
chin  where  they  were  larger  and  coalesced,  apparently,  in  the 
deeper  subcutaneous  tissues.  Pressure  on  one  part  of  the  fore- 
head would  cause  pus  to  exude  from  several  minute  remote 
openings — the  same  statement  applied  to  the  chin.  About  five 
drops  of  pus  were  triturated  with  an  ounce  of  sugar  of  milk; 
of  this  she  was  given  five  grains  every  four  hours  for  three 
days.  When  she  returned  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  day,  her 
condition  was  pitiable  indeed.  Her  whole  face  was  a  mass  of 
indurations  and  newly  formed  pustules,  and  the  old  ones  were 
pouring  out  pus  freely.  Recognizing  the  value  of  the  small 
dose,  the  writer  decided  to  make  a  test  in  this  case  and  see 
what  effect  a  minute  dose  of  the  same  material  that  caused 
the  symptoms  would  have  on  the  course  of  the  disease ;  accord- 
ingly he  prepared  the  6th  c.c.  dilution,  in  the  following 
manner : 

Six  sterile  ounce  bottles  were  placed  in  a  row.  Five  were 
filled  with  distilled  water  and  the  last  with  alcohol.  In  the 
first  was  placed  five  drops  of  pus ;  the  mixture  was  thoroughly 
shaken  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve  hours  with  occasional 
agitation,  at  room  temperature,  in  order  that  the  water  would 
thoroughly  dissolve  the  soluble  toxins — some  of  the  micro- 
organisms would  probably  be  destroyed  by  this  treatment  and 
their  toxins  would  then  go  into  solution  by  autolysis.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  five  drops  of  this  mixture  were  placed  in 
bottle  No.  2  and  twenty  raps  on  the  palm  of  the  left  hand  was 
given — this  was  dilution  No.  2.  Five  drops  of  dilution  No.  2 
were  then  placed  in  bottle  No.  3  and  shaken,  and  so  on  until 
the  6th  bottle ;  the  6th  dilution  being  made  with  alcohol  would 
keep.  The  patient  was  instructed  to  take  ten  drops  of  this 
dilution  in  a  little  water  before  meals  and  at  bedtime.  In 
twenty-four  hours  a  distinct  improvement  was  noticed ;  there 
was  no  more  pus  but  the  face  was  still  red.  At  the  end  of 
seven  days  from  the  time  treatment  was  begun,  the  patient  had 


ii6  AUTOTHERAPY 

practically  recovered.  She  came  once  a  week  for  the  following 
six  weeks.  At  each  visit  she  was  given  three  small  doses. 
There  has  been  no  return  for  over  five  years. 

Case  38.  Dr.  Charles  L.  Ireland,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  re- 
ports having  treated  a  number  of  patients  suffering  with  acne 
vulgaris,  successfully,  in  a  similar  manner.  Dr.  Ireland  ex- 
pressed the  pus  from  one  or  two  small  pimples  and  caught 
it  on  cotton.  He  placed  this  in  about  an  ounce  of  alcohol  and 
shook  it  thoroughly.  He  poured  a  few  drops  of  this  over  a 
small  vial  of  pills  made  of  sugar  of  milk  and  gave  this  to  the 
patient  with  instructions  to  take  two  pills  three  times  a  day. 
He  reports  being  successful  in  treating  a  number  of  patients. 

Case  39.  Dr.  David  Trumbull  Marshall,  HoUis,  L.  I.,  re- 
ports the  following  case :  Patient,  female,  had  been  suffering 
with  acne  of  the  face  for  ten  years.  Several  pus  pimples  were 
lanced  with  a  bistoury  and  the  pus  was  rubbed  with  fine  sand,  it 
was  then  mixed  with  two  drams  of  water  for  thirty  minutes, 
then  filtered.  She  had  one  intravenous  injection  of  30  minims 
on  July  I2th  and  on  July  17th,  and  23rd.  On  the  27111,  she  was 
given  30  minims  subcutaneously.  The  patient  did  not  return 
till  September  7th.  The  reason  given  for  not  returning  was 
that  her  face  had  been  free  of  pimples.  The  filtrate  was  again 
given  in  the  manner  before  described  which  completely  cleared 
up  the  case. 

There  had  never  been  a  time  for  ten  years  that  her  face  was 
clear  of  a  disfiguring  acne.  The  reactions  were  never  severe 
save  after  the  intravenous  injection. 

Dr.  Clement  A.  Shute,  of  Pottstown,  Pa.,  in  a  Symposium 
on  Autotherapy  in  the  Western  Medical  Times,  October,  191 6. 
reports  the  following  case: 

Case  40.  "  The  first  experience  I  had  with  Autotherapy 
was  in  a  case  of  acne  in  a  young  man  18  years  of  age.  I  had 
read  an  article  by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan  under  the  title  of 
'  Autotherapy,'  and  was  anxious  to  test  it.  I  secured  the  dis- 
charge from  several  pimples  on  the  face  and  back  (about  two 
grains)  and  triturated  it  with  an  ounce  of  sugar  of  milk  for 
fifteen  minutes;  of  this  I  prescribed  five  grain  doses  every 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      117 

three  hours,  both  before  and  between  meals.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  week  there  was  marked  improvement,  and  in  five 
weeks  there  was  scarcely  a  blemish  left.  The  face  remains 
clear  to  this  day  (four  years  later)." 

*  Report  of  Veterinary  Physicians 

Case  41.  Gray  gelding  of  the  draft  type,  having  a  large 
fluctuating  fistulous  abscess  on  the  right  side  of  the  withers. 
Two  doses  of  heated  pus  were  administered  subcutaneously, 
the  first  given  on  October  i8th  and  the  second  on  October  22, 
191 1.  The  discharge  took  on  a  sero-sanguineous  aspect  the 
day  following  the  first  injection.  The  animal  made  a  complete 
recovery  within  two  weeks.  No  microscopical  examination 
was  made  of  the  discharge. 

Case  42.  Bay  gelding  showing  a  very  severe  infection  of  the 
fore  point  of  the  fetlock  on  the  off  fore  leg.  Microscopical 
examination  revealed  the  presence  of  necrophorus  bacilli, 
streptococci  and  staphylococci.  Multiple  abscesses  were  form- 
ing around  the  joint  and  extending  to  the  knee.  Animal  in 
great  pain,  places  no  weight  on  limb,  temperature  very  high, 
the  condition  going  rapidly  beyond  control.  Four  doses  of 
the  heated  pus  were  injected  subcutaneously  on  December  10, 
12,  17  and  24,  191 1,  respectively.  The  improvement  was  re- 
markable after  the  second  dose ;  and  the  animal  was  ready  for 
work  in  a  month.  Following  the  second  dose  the  parts  were 
actually  bathed  with  lymph  that  had  the  appearance  of  liquid 
vaseline. 

Case  43.  Black  gelding  having  a  generalized  necrotic  ab- 
scess formation  around  the  coronet  and  in  the  hollow  of  the 
fetlock  due  to  a  puncture  wound  in  the  frog.  Five  doses  in 
all  of  the  heated  pus  were  injected,  covering  a  period  from 
December  the  21st,  191 1,  to  January  the  12th,  1912.  After 
the  first  dose  the  parts  took  on  a  flushed  appearance  and 
began  to  heal  rapidly.  Unfortunately  the  flexor  pedis  tendon 
had  necrosed  before  the  treatment  was  begun  and  had  rup- 

*The  first  twelve  cases  are  abstracted  from  an  article  under  the  title 
of  "  Autotherapy,"  by  D.  J.  Mangan,  D.V.S.,  that  appeared  in  the 
American  Veterinary  Review,  July,  1912. 


ii8  AUTOTHERAPY 

tured.  Although  heahng  was  complete  the  animal  was  de- 
stroyed. The  microscope  showed  the  same  infecting  agents 
as  case  No.  42. 

Case  44.  Gray  gelding.  Microscope  shows  the  same  micro- 
organisms as  in  case  No.  42,  and  clinically  and  etiologically  is 
the  same  as  case  No.  43 ;  receiving  five  injections  of  heated 
pus,  making  a  complete  recovery  in  six  weeks. 

Case  45.  Dr.  W.  J.  Magee's  case.  Bay  gelding,  showing  a 
profound  infection  of  the  off  fore  foot  and  large  necrotic 
areas.  Microscope  showed  the  smear  covered  with  necrophorus 
bacilli,  streptococci,  staphylococci,  and  what  happened  to  be  the 
bacillus  pyocyaneus.  This  case  was  treated  with  the  heated 
pus  and  Dr.  Magee  was  favorably  impressed  with  the  results 
after  the  first  dose,  although  the  animal  died.  Dr.  Magee 
attributes  the  death  to  the  too  frequent  injections,  bringing 
on  a  permanent  "  negative  phase." 

Case  46.  Buckskin  gelding ;  the  microscope  showed  a  strep- 
tococci infection  of  a  wound  on  the  hind  quarters,  that  had 
become  infected  by  using  the  same  syringe  in  injecting  it  that 
had  been  used  on  a  distemper  abscess  on  another  horse.  This 
animal  at  the  time  of  the  treatment  was  in  a  prolonged 
"  negative  phase,"  showing  numerous  abscesses  in  different 
parts  of  the  body.  The  injection  of  heated  pus  in  small  doses 
did  not  influence  the  course  of  the  disease  and  the  animal  died 
from  sepsis. 

Case  47.  Bay  gelding,  brewery  draft  horse,  suffering  from 
a  nail  prick  that  had  caused  a  separation  around  the  coronet, 
great  pain,  high  fever,  no  weight  on  foot.  No  microscopical 
examination  of  the  discharge  was  made.  This  case  took  four 
doses  of  the  heated  pus  before  recovery  became  complete  in 
five  weeks. 

Case  48.  Bay  gelding;  coronet,  pastern  and  fetlock,  one 
suppurating  mass  due  to  a  punctured  wound  in  foot.  Dis- 
charge of  purulent  synovia  from  original  wound.  No  micro- 
scopical examination  made.  This  case  was  fed  with  the  puru- 
lent discharge  from  the  leg  and  all  the  suppurating  and 
necrotic  areas  began  to  heal.  The  parts  were  perfectly  healed 
in  five  weeks,  except  a  slight  discharge  of  non-purulent  synovia 
from  the  bottom  of  the  hoof.  All  the  digital  articulations  had 
become  ankylosed  and  the  animal  was  destroyed. 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      119 

Case  49.  Gray  gelding,  a  deep  punctured  wound  reaching 
down  to  the  coxofemoral  articulation ;  yielded  very  rapidly  to 
the  administration  of  the  crude  pus  per  os. 

Case  50.  Gray  gelding,  of  a  large  heavy  draft  type,  cel- 
lulitis of  the  entire  right  hind  leg,  apparently  starting  from  a 
calloused  area  on  the  anterior  surface  of  the  pastern.  The 
part  was  washed  and  hair  clipped  and  a  moist  antiseptic 
dressing  applied  for  twenty-four  hours.  Then  the  callus  was 
raised  off  completely  and  the  pure  pus  caught  in  a  wide-mouth 
bottle.  A  pure  strain  of  streptococci  was  shown  under  the 
microscope.  This  discharge  was  filtered  through  a  Berkfeld 
filter  and  only  two  injections  were  necessary  to  bring  about  a 
cure. 

Case  51.  Gray  mare  (green),  had  been  suffering  from  a 
very  severe  attack  of  influenza  of  the  fulminating  type.  The 
attack  under  the  regular  treatment  ran  a  very  tedious  course, 
until  finally  the  temperature  remained  stationary  at  102°  F., 
pulse  60,  and  the  animal  refused  to  eat  or  drink  and  was  in 
this  condition  for  three  days,  when  small  petechiae  appeared  in 
the  left  nostril;  eight  distinct  petechiae  were  counted.  In  the 
right  nostril  there  were  not  so  many.  Along  the  abdomen  were 
several  oedematous  patches  about  the  size  of  a  man's  fist.  The 
symptoms  were  undoubtedly  those  of  purpura  hemorrhagica 
in  the  initial  stage.  The  animal  was  injected  subcutaneously 
with  2.5  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  of  the  discharge  from  case  No.  50. 
The  next  day  the  condition  of  the  animal  was  wonderful,  tem- 
perature normal,  petechiae  and  oedematous  swellings  completely 
disappeared.  Animal  drank  a  pail  of  water  and  ate  one  quart 
of  oats.  A  second  dose  was  given  four  days  later  and  the 
animal  made  a  rapid  recovery. 

Case  52.  Dark  gray  gelding,  having  a  fistula  of  the  withers 
of  four  weeks'  standing.  The  parts  were  washed  with  plain 
tap  water  and  the  next  morning  two  tablespoonfuls  of  pus 
were  collected  and  enough  water  added  to  make  12  ounces  of 
the  mixture.  One  ounce  was  given  in  the  mouth  every  hour, 
until  four  doses  were  taken.  By  mistake  the  same  number 
of  doses  was  administered  the  next  day  but  without  any  harm 
being  done.  The  day  following  the  first  treatment,  the  dis- 
charge had  changed  to  a  decided  bloody  serous  exudation  and 
about  two  drachms  were  all  that  could  be  expressed  from  the 


I20  AUTOTHERAPY 

fistulous  tract;  the  second  day  only  a  few  bubbles  of  the  dis- 
charge could  be  forced  out,  in  comparison  to  the  two  ounces 
on  the  morning  on  which  the  treatment  was  commenced.  The 
animal  made  complete  recovery  in  three  weeks.  No  micro- 
scopical examination  was  made  of  this  discharge.  Four  treat- 
ments were  all  that  was  necessary  in  this  case. 

Mangan  states  further: 

"  Strong  antiseptic  and  astringent  solutions  are  contraindi- 
cated,  as  a  rule,  when  the  autogenous  antigen  is  being  used, 
because  such  agents  retard  the  outflow  of  lymph  and  blood 
which  follow  their  use. 

"  Generally  speaking  the  more  severe  and  systemic  the  infec- 
tion the  smaller  should  be  the  dose  of  antigen  employed.  Where 
very  small  doses  are  given,  they  may  be  given  more  often ; 
in  some  cases  daily  minute  doses  being  employed.  When  large 
doses  are  given  the  intervals  between  them  should  be  length- 
ened. Finally  too  much  should  not  be  expected  from  this 
treatment  and  it  should  not  be  considered  as  a  cure-all." 

Case  53.  Dr.  Jay  Macdonald,  D.V.S.,  Veterinary  of  the 
Carroll  Sales  Stables,  24th  Street,  New  York  City,  reports 
the  following  case: 

Vanderbilt  coaching  horse  from  London.  Chestnut  gelding 
9  years  old,  15  hands  high,  very  shy.  Shied  at  auto  and  cut 
fetlock  joint  wide  open.-  Severe  purulent  infection  set  in.  The 
inguinal  glands  were  involved.  The  leg  was  enormously  swol- 
len, high  temperature,  etc.  The  case  appeared  to  be  hopeless 
and  the  animal  would  under  other  conditions  have  been  de- 
stroyed. 

Treatment. — Twenty  c.c.  of  pus  were  placed  in  a  quart  of 
water  and  thoroughly  shaken ;  of  this  two  ounces  were  given 
every  two  hours  for  twelve  hours.  In  twenty-four  hours  the 
horse  was  better  in  every  way.  He  had  but  one  other  treat- 
ment, and  in  three  weeks  he  was  well. 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      121 

Dr.   McDonald   further  states: 

"  I  have  used  this  treatment  on  many  other  cases  just  as 
severe  with  equally  good  results,  and  am  convinced  nothing 
else  would  have  saved  these  animals." 

Case  54.  Dr.  R.  S.  Mackellar,  D.V.S.,  351  West  nth 
Street,  New  York  City. 

Severe  case  of  fistulous  withers.  "  I  judge  this  case  would 
not  recover  in  less  than  three  months,  and  it  would  in  all 
probability  have  to  be  operated  to  recover.  Pus  was  copious, 
thick  and  yellow." 

Treatment. — One  ounce  of  pus  was  placed  in  six  ounces  of 
water  and  thoroughly  shaken.  Of  this  one  ounce  was  given  by 
the  mouth  every  hour  for  four  doses.  In  forty-eight  hours 
the  discharge  was  less,  thinner  and  mixed  with  blood.  In  ten 
days  the  wound  was  nearly  closed,  but  there  was  a  little  pus. 
In  order  to  obtain  sufficient  I  made  a  curettage  from  the  side 
of  the  wound,  using  the  crust  or  scab  also.  I  then  gave  another 
four  doses  in  the  manner  described  above.  In  ten  more  days' 
time  from  beginning  treatment  the  wound  had  healed.  The 
horse  was  put  to  work  but  the  collar  rubbed  again  and  the 
surface  broke  down.  One  more  dose  was  given  and  that  was 
the  last  of  it. 

Case  55.  Dr.  Mackellar,  D.V.S.  "  Acute  synovitis  of  the 
coronary  joint,  very  severe.  I  gave  the  same  treatment  as  in 
the  case  above  and  in  three  weeks  the  horse  was  well.  The 
pus  in  this  case  was  also  markedly  less  in  forty-eight  hours, 
became  thin  and  blooc^y  and  then  gradually  stopped,  I  have 
treated  many  more  or  less  severe  cases  successfully  in  this 
manner,  and  am  using  the  method  in  my  practice  where  I  am 
able,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  medication." 

Case  56.  October  23,  1912,  Wm.  A.  Duffin,  D.  V.  S.,  re- 
ports the  following  case: 

Bay  mare  suffering  with  fistula  of  the  withers,  caused  by 
rubbing  of  collar.  The  pus  ran  down  the  side  of  the  animal's 
fore  leg  to  the  floor.  At  a  conservative  estimate  six  ounces 
of  pus  were  discharged  from  the  wound  daily.  A  half 
ounce  was  placed  in  six  ounces  of  water  and  an  ounce  of  this 
mixture  was  placed  in  the  animal's  mouth  with  a  syringe.    One 


122  AUTOTHERAPY 

week  after  the  first  dose  there  was  only  a  drachm  of  pus  that 
exuded  daily.  Another  dose  was  given.  At  the  end  of  the 
second  week  there  was  no  pus  at  all,  the  wound  was  healing  by 
granulation  tissue.  Another  dose  was,  however,  given  when 
the  animal  made  an  uneventful  recovery.  The  wound  was 
dressed  with  normal  salt  solution  only. 

Dr.  Duffin  states  further: 

"  Animals  in  the  condition  of  this  one  are  always  operated 
and  occasionally  they  have  to  be  operated  several  times,  to 
clear  up  a  deep  burrowing  case  such  as  this  one.  I  have  used 
Autotherapy  successfully  many  times  and  am  satisfied  nothing 
else  would  have  saved  this  animal  from  an  operation.  I  be- 
lieve the  Duncan  Natural  Toxins  are  the  best  biological  prepa- 
ration we  have  at  our  disposal  in  the  treatment  of  diseases. 

"  I  am  using  it  to  the  exclusion  of  any  other  biological 
preparation  in  my  practice." 

Case  57.  Dr.  Geo.  J.  Goubeaud,  Flushing,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y.,  Veterinary  to  the  Department  of  Health,  the  Long 
Island  Kennel  Club  and  the  First  Cavalry,  reports  the  fol- 
lowing case :  Gray  mare,  ten  years  old,  broke  through  a  barbed- 
wire  fence  and  was  severely  lacerated  on  the  forelegs  and 
both  hocks,  with  exposure  of  the  synovial  membrane  and  the 
loss  of  the  synovial  fiuid.  The  leg  was  torn  over  a  wide  area 
and  deep  into  the  muscles.  There  was  an  extensive  laceration 
of  the  skin  of  the  thighs  over  an  area  of  about  fifteen  inches 
in  diameter.  When  first  seen  the  animal  was  down  and  unable 
to  rise.  I  managed  to  put  her  in  a  sling  and  made  an  attempt 
to  cauterize  the  wounds  and  sutured  the  muscles  with  cat- 
gut and  the  skin  with  silk.  -Three  days  afterward  I  decided 
to  destroy  the  animal,  for  her  general  condition  showed  that 
she  would  not  recover.  Before  doing  this,  however,  I  thought 
of  Autotherapy  and  decided  to  try  it.  Two  ounces  of  blood 
and  pus  were  collected  from  the  severely  infected  wounds 
which  were  very  fetid.  A  dilution  of  the  pus  was  filtered, 
obtaining  thereby  four  ounces  of  filtrate ;  2  drachms  of  which 
were  injected  hypodermatically  and  a  teaspoonful  given  by 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      123 

the  mouth.  Both  night  and  morning  the  wounds  were  cleansed 
daily  with  warm  water.  No  antiseptics  were  applied.  In  three 
days  her  temperature  was  normal  and  the  animal  appeared  to 
be  fairly  comfortable.  In  three  weeks*  time  the  animal  was 
taken  out  of  the  stall  and  allowed  to  walk  around  the  paddock. 
Aside  from  two  large  scars  caused  by  the  skin  sagging,  there 
was  left  a  large  gangrenous  area,  which  eventually  detached 
itself.  In  six  weeks  flies  began  to  annoy  her  and  she  became 
irritable  and  did  not  eat.  At  one  part  where  the  bone  was  still 
exposed,  pus  again  made  its  appearance.  A  fresh  supply  of 
filtrate  was  made  and  at  the  end  of  two  weeks  nothing  re- 
mained but  the  scars.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  destroyed  ani- 
mals that  were  in  this  condition.  I  do  not  now  destroy  them 
but  usually  save  them  by  means  of  Autotherapy. 

Case  58.  Dr.  W.  J.  Raynor,  Cushing,  Neb.,  reports  the  fol- 
lowing case :  Last  month  my  collie  dog  was  bitten  at  the  base 
of  the  ear  in  a  fight  with  a  bulldog,  and  I  decided  to  make  a 
test  and  prove  or  disprove  your  assertion  that  "  the  only  place 
a  dog  ever  has  a  severe  infection,  is  on  the  head,  where  for 
anatomical  reasons  he  cannot  lick."  The  wound  became  in- 
fected and  in  a  few  days  full  of  pus.  The  dog  was  placed  in 
a  screened  room  and  continually  grew  worse.  I  was  intensely 
interested  in  watching  him  rub  it  with  his  paw  every  little 
while  and  then  lick  his  paw.  Nothing  was  done  for  him,  and 
in  four  days  from  the  time  the  wounds  were  clean  and  dry. 
I  told  a  ranchman  with  a  valuable  horse  who  had  suffered 
with  poll  evil  for  over  a  year  of  this  treatment.  He  scraped 
out  of  the  ear  on  a  stick  about  a  drachm  of  pus  and  placed  it 
on  the  horse's  tongue.  He  did  this  five  times  at  two  or  three 
days'  interval  and  promptly  cured  the  case.  These  cases  are 
usually  most  obstinate  and  refuse  to  heal. 

Dr.  W.  J.  Magee,  D.V.S.,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  reports  the 
following  cases : 

Case  59.  Gray  gelding  received  a  kick  from  a  stable  com- 
panion on  July  16,  19 1 2,  and  I  was  called  three  days  later  to 
treat  him  for  it,  and  found  the  animal  upon  three  legs,  so  to 
speak,  and  in  great  pain.  Temperature  104°  F.,  and  unable 
to  place  the  foot  of  the  injured  leg  upon  the  ground.    A  piece 


124  AUTOTHERAPY 

of  burlap  was  tied  about  the  hock,  and  they  had  been  keeping 
it  wet  with  hot  water.  Upon  examination  I  found  that  the 
ergot  or  wart  of  the  near  hind  hock  had  been  cut  across,  and 
half  of  it  had  been  entirely  removed,  and  the  wound  itself  had 
penetrated  the  joint,  from  which  a  flow  of  the  synovial  fluid 
was  escaping  and  dropping  from  the  hair  at  the  ankle  to  the 
floor.  The  wound  was  cleansed  and  a  dressing  of  powdered 
salicylic  acid  with  collodion  applied  under  the  bandage,  and 
similar  dressings  were  used  three  times  at  intervals  of  two 
days,  with  no  improvement  in  the  animal's  condition.  On 
July  26,  oiij  of  the  discharge  were  collected  and  made  up 
with  water  from  the  faucet  to  5vi  with  the  directions  to  give 
one  ounce  every  hour  until  all  was  used  (6  doses  in  all)  ;  the 
wound  was  dressed  with  tr.  iodine  and  phenol  95  per  cent., 
equal  parts  and  powdered  salicylic  acid,  collodion  and  cotton 
as  before.  This  dressing  was  not  removed  until  three  days 
later,  when  the  animal  was  walked  from  the  box  stall  placing 
the  toe  upon  the  ground  and  dropping  back  upon  the  heel  with 
but  little  lameness.  Temperature  loi  °  F.,  and  upon  removing 
the  dressing  I  found  I  could  not  collect  enough  discharge  for 
another  treatment,  nor  was  it  at  all  necessary.  The  wound 
was  dressed  as  before  at  two  consecutive  visits,  when  a  blister 
was  applied  and  the  animal  returned  to  his  usual  labor,  August 
19,  1912,  none  the  worse  for  his  experience. 

Case  60.  Bay  gelding  with  an  opening  on  right  side  of 
shoulder  from  a  fistula  of  the  withers,  with  a  discharge  from 
it  flowing  down  the  elbow.  Upon  probing,  I  found  that  the 
tract  extended  across  the  shoulder,  and  I  could  feel  the  end  of 
probe  under  the  skin  of  the  opposite  side.  This  had  been 
under  treatment  for  a  period  of  from  seven  to  nine  weeks  by 
another  veterinarian  with  no  improvement  in  his  condition, 
and  the  owner  requested  me  to  cut  it  all  out.  I  informed  him 
that  if  it  had  to  be  cut,  the  animal  would  have  to  be  cast  or 
placed  on  the  operating  table,  for  he  was  a  very  vicious  brute 
and  could  not  be  secured  in  any  other  way  for  operation.  I 
collected  3iij  of  the  discharge  and  made  it  up  to  ovi  with 
water  from  the  faucet,  with  directions  to  give  one  ounce  every 
hour  until  it  was  all  used.  I  did  not  see  the  patient  again 
for  a  period  of  six  days  and  then  found  that  the  appearance 
of  the  discharge  had  changed  and  was  less  in  quantity.    This 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      125 

treatment  was  continued  at  intervals  of  from  six  to  eight  days, 
from  October  19,  to  November  27,  1912  (six  treatments  in 
all),  and  during  this  time  as  the  discharge  became  less  in 
quantity,  it  was  always  made  up  to  §vi  with  water,  for  it 
appears  to  me  as  if  the  patient  will,  and  does,  regulate  his 
own  dosage.  The  animal  did  not  miss  a  day's  work,  except 
on  the  days  that  he  received  his  medicine,  and  nothing  was 
injected  or  inserted  into  the  opening  or  tract  after  the  first 
examination ;  but  the  discharge  was  washed  off  every  day,  ex- 
cept for  twenty-four  hours  previous  to  my  visit,  when  it  was 
allowed  to  remain  for  my  collection. 

Dr.  James  Law,  M.D.,  D.V.S.,  Ex-Dean  and  Professor 
Emeritus  of  New  York  State  Veterinary  Medical  College  at 
Cornell  University : 

"  Dear  Doctor  Duncan  : 

Medicine  has  passed  through  many  varied  experiences. 
Any  endeavor  to  trace  its  history  would  lead  us  into  paths 
that  would  be  anything  but  complimentary  to  its  doctrines 
and  its  practitioners.  But  when  we  come  up  against  Auto- 
therapy, we  are  at  once  reminded  of  certain  truths  as  vener- 
able as  the  race  of  man,  and  in  some  sense  a  matter  of  com- 
mon knowledge,  ist.  Who  has  always  been  the  great  Healer? 
Is  it  not  the  Great  Creator?  Before  medicine  had  a  name  or 
substantial  reality,  sick  and  wounded  men  and  beasts  largely 
recovered  from  their  morbid  conditions  by  what  would  be 
called  the  defensive  action  of  Nature.  No  thinking  man  can 
close  his  mind  to  the  obvious  fact  that  every  recovery  is  a 
triumph  of  the  living  being  over  the  malign  conditions  and 
cause  that  besets  it.  Had  the  evil  influence  continued  with 
unabated  force  in  a  system  that  could  get  up  no  greater  re- 
sistance than  at  first  a  fatal  outcome  would  have  been  inevi- 
table. The  repair  of  the  wounded  tissue  has  been  expected 
and  looked  for.  The  counterpart  in  the  repair  of  deeper  and 
more  obscure  tissues  of  deranged  function  in  cells,  metabolic 
processes,  etc.,  was  equally  to  be  looked  for  through  the  cor- 
rective efforts  of  Nature's  loom.  2nd.  Contagious  diseases 
even  in  the  gross  ignorance  of  the  dark  ages  produced  an 
explanation  of  the  transference  from  one  victim  to  another  of 


126  AUTOTHERAPY 

the  morbid  agent  which  in  place  of  losing  its  power  through 
dilution  from  a  sequence  of  victims  constantly  measured  its 
evidence  of  increase  by  the  number  of  its  martyrs,  and  added 
to  its  potency  as  it  met  victims  that  had  lessened  power  of 
resistance.  The  materia  morbi  was  not  as  yet  called  a  germ 
but  all  the  properties  of  a  living  and  self-propagated  germ  were 
already  conceived  in  the  mind  of  the  observer.  In  non- 
contagious diseases  were  manifest  triumphs  of  the  defensive 
powers  with  which  the  Creator  had  endowed  the  victim,  jrd. 
This  view  was  early  availed  of  by  utilizing  these  unknown 
defensive  elements  for  the  purpose  of  fortifying  the  system 
against  a  prospective  or  prevailing  epidemic.  The  Arabian  and 
Chinese  Medical  men  used  the  virus  of  small-pox  to  produce  a 
benignant  and  non-fatal  form  of  the  disease  and  to  render 
their  patients  immune  from  the  malignant  lethal  type.  Finding 
this  so  in  Constantinople,  Lady  Mary  Montague  introduced  it 
into  England  to  the  great  benefit  of  those  that  took  advantage 
of  it  in  days  of  prevalent  small-pox.  Seventy  years  later 
came  Jenner  with  his  small-pox  inoculation  since,  unless  con- 
taminated as  in  Pearson's  experiment,  etc.,  it  practically  never 
produced  small-pox  nor  failed  to  give  immunity  from  it.  A 
provision  of  the  as  yet  unsuspected  antitoxin  or  alexin  might 
almost  be  inferred  from  the  practice  of  Theile,  Roberts, 
Brachet  and  Bouchacourt  in  mixing  cows'  milk  variola  (small- 
pox) exudate  and  employing  for  inoculating  against  small-pox. 
Ceely,  Martin  and  others  went  further  inoculating  small-pox 
virus  in  cows  and  using  the  serum  from  the  resulting  vesicle  to 
vaccinate  the  human  beings.  This  has  been  largely  followed 
in  the  United  States  and  there  has  often  been  disseminated 
a  repulsive  eruptive  disease  often  masked  under  the  name  of 
pemphigus,  no  less  contagious  and  often  scarcely  less  threaten- 
ing than  a  mild  variola.  I  recall  no  actual  deaths  from  this 
but  I  have  seen  much  unnecessary  suffering  and  a  wide  ex- 
tension of  the  malady. 

"In  other  diseases  of  lower  animals  there  is  a  like  tendency. 
In  1850  when  lung  plague  of  cattle  prevailed  widely  in  Europe, 
Louis  Williams  inoculated  the  tips  of  the  tails  of  sound  cattle 
with  the  exudate  taken  from  the  affected  lung  and  found  as  a 
result  in  fifteen  days  (the  usual  period  of  incubation)  an 
active  inflammation  with  considerable  exudate  in  the  seat  of  the 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      127 

wound ;  he  found  moreover  that  the  subjects  when  stabled  with 
diseased  animals  and  even  when  inoculated  with  the  virus 
direct,  showed  no  reaction  even  in  the  seat  of  inoculation.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that  the  lungs  of  the 
inoculated  animals  remained  unaffected  throughout,  and  that 
inoculation  in  other  regions  having  much  loose  connective  tis- 
sues was  followed  by  widespread  inflammation  with  enormous 
swelling  and  often  proved  fatal.  The  extreme  mildness  of 
the  disease  in  the  tip  of  the  tail  depended  on  the  great  lack  of 
loose  connective  tissue  there  and  on  the  fact  that  the  germ 
does  not  live  and  propagate  in  the  circulating  blood  but  is  con- 
fined strictly  to  the  seat  of  insertion  and  its  immediate  sur- 
roundings. Williams  had  unconsciously  hit  upon  a  means  of 
using  the  toxins,  antitoxins,  alexins,  etc.,  on  the  system  at 
large  (in  the  absence  of  the  living  germ)  and  thus  producing 
a  satisfactory  immunity.  This  has  been  used  all  over  the  world 
wherever  lung  plague  prevailed  and  has  shown  a  splendid 
success  in  protecting  exposed  and  affected  herds.  It  is  not 
unobjectionable,  in  view  of  what  was  accomplished  by  the 
propagation  of  the  germ  in  the  animal  treated,  which  infection 
may  extend  to  other  unprotected  animals  more  or  less  directly 
(by  contact  through  visitors,  fodder,  manure,  etc.),  and  start  a 
new  center  of  disease.  To  avoid  this  peril  in  1880,  I  inoculated 
some  with  liquid  expressed  from  the  encysted  sequestrum  left 
in  the  lungs  of  a  recovered  victim  of  lung  plague,  and  others 
with  a  heat-sterilized  exudate  from  the  lungs  of  an  animal 
killed  in  active  stage  of  the  disease,  and  got  no  local  reaction 
in  any  case,  but  I  did  get  a  potent  immunity  as  witnessed  by 
entire  insusceptibility  to  reaction  of  direct  inoculation  of  the 
living  virus  and  to  a  subsequent  exposure  in  two  infected 
herds  and  places.  This  bears  directly  on  Autotherapy  or 
self-healing.  In  the  same  year,  1880,  I  inoculated  swine  with 
sterilized  hog-cholera  virus  and  found  that  a  good  measure  of 
resistance  was  thereby  acquired.  (Department  of  Agriculture 
Report,  1880,  Veterinary  Medicine,  Volume  4,  page  69.)  In 
1884  I  drew  blood  from  an  anthrax  cow,  heated  it  to  212° 
for  thirty  minutes,  dissolved  out  the  toxins,  endotoxins,  anti- 
toxins, etc.,  in  boiled  water  and  injected  from  two  to  four 
c  c.  in  each  member  of  the  herd,  except  one  and  this  untreated 
animal  alone  contracted  the  disease  though  kept  in  the  same 


128  AUTOTHERAPY 

infected  pasture.  Since  that  date  I  have  used  this  method  on 
every  herd  where  opportunity  offered,  with  similar  success. 
(Veterinary  Medicine,  Vol.  4,  page  281.)  Others  claiming 
to  have  used  the  same  remedy  have  reported  failures,  but 
one  was  on  cows  on  full  milk  and  lactic  acid,  which  greatly 
enhances  susceptibility,  was  possibly  to  blame  (phloridzin 
and  doubtless  other  agents  have  a  similar  effect.)  The  Pas- 
teur inoculation  for  rabies  is  another  case  in  point.  There  the 
infected  medulla  is  hung  in  an  aerated  vessel  until  the  germ 
is  incapable  of  producing  the  disease  when  lodged  in  the  living 
tissues.  But  it  is  not  the  debilitated  germ  alone  but  also  its 
toxins,  antitoxins  and  other  defensive  products  still  retained 
in  the  medulla.  I  am  tempted  to  quote  a  number  of  more 
recent  observers  (Burden,  Requel,  Von  Behring,  Chauveau, 
Toussaint,  Arloing,  Bouley,  Sanderson,  Koch,  Ehrlich,  etc.), 
but  I  must  forbear. 

Toussaint  came  near  to  the  use  of  the  defensive  products 
for  immunization  but  was  discredited  (I  suspect  unjustly)  by 
the  outcome  of  the  experiment  at  Alfort.  Koch  had  the  idea 
correctly  enough  and  exploited  his  tuberculine  as  a  cure  for 
tuberculosis  but  ignored  the  fact  that  this  disease  is  not  abso- 
lutely self-limited,  will  continue  in  a  chronic  form  through  a 
lifetime.  Von  Behring,  like  Koch,  kept  his  treasure  a  secret 
in  order  to  profit  by  its  sale.  Coming  back  to  the  present  day 
we  can  say  more  for  it  than  in  the  past.  We  have  of  course 
had  our  examples  of  survival  of  a  rock-bound  past.  We  have 
a  great  rank  and  file  of  conservatists  to  whose  mind  nothing 
finds  a  ready  entrance,  with  them,  anything  that  is  not  time- 
honored  and  classic  is  to  be  suspected  and  excluded.  They  are, 
however,  much  less  dominant  than  in  former  times.  Indeed 
the  ambitious  practitioner  of  today  is  rather  inclined  to  pose 
among  the  latest  and  most  advanced  thinkers  and  to  accept 
whatever  comes  with  any  reasonable  appearance  of  truth.  Do 
not  therefore  be  discouraged  nor  disappointed  because  of  the 
tardiness  of  appreciation.  Autotherapy  is  a  system  having  a 
basis  in  the  irrefragable  truths  of  biology  and  is  predestined 
to  a  growing  recognition  and  practice.  Its  main  danger  is 
in  the  advocacy  of  its  value  irrespective  of  our  ever-changing 
conditions.  Any  logical  mind  studying  it  in  the  light  of  the 
cases  submitted  by  yourself  and  co-workers,  must  admit  that 


THE  CURE  OF  PURULENT  INFECTIONS      129 

the  underlying  principle  is  a  sound  one,  for  the  striking,  speedy 
amelioration  of  case  after  case  though  previously  obstinate 
and  intractable  would  be  otherwise  unexplainable.  Cases  that 
still  remain  irremediable  under  Autotherapy,  must  be  ex- 
plained under  the  difference  of  conditions,  and  in  this  complex 
world  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  recognize  and  obviate  all  such.  If 
a  milch  cow  attacked  by  anthrax  may  be  doomed  because  of 
the  formation  of  lactic  acid,  we  must  allow  the  possible  occur- 
rence of  one  of  the  other  million  slips  and  recognize  our 
defeat.  This  does  not  alter  the  meaning  of  your  splendid  suc- 
cession of  successes  and  above  all  it  does  not  invalidate  the 
principle  on  which  Autotherapy  is  founded.  I  think  you  are 
worthy  of  the  highest  credit  for  the  way  you  have  recognized 
the  truths  of  Autotherapy,  and  no  less  for  your  steady  ad- 
herence to  the  doctrine  through  evil  and  good  report.  Whether 
or  not  you  receive  now  the  recognition  for  the  good  work  you 
have  done,  that  work  will  live  and  the  esteem  of  humanity  will 
be  a  future  reward. 

"  With  best  wishes,  I  am, 

"  Very  sincerely  yours, 

"James  Law,  M.D.,  D.V.S/' 

Daniel  J.  Mangan,  D.  V.  S.,  Chief  Veterinary  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Street  Cleaning  of  New  York  City,  states : 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  testify  regarding  the  in- 
estimable value  of  Autotherapy  as  devised  by  Dr.  Charles  H. 
Duncan  of  New  York  City.  In  191 1  I  was  attracted  by  his 
writings  published  in  the  Medical  Record,  and  by  applying  his 
principles  to  septic  conditions  in  the  lower  animals,  particu- 
larly the  horse,  I  was  delighted  to  find  that  the  results  obtained 
confirmed  his  findings,  as  outlined  in  the  treatment  of  like 
diseases  in  man.  In  July  191 2,  I  wrote  an  article  on  the  sub- 
ject which  was  published  in  the  leading  Veterinary  Journal  of 
North  America — The  American  Veterinary  Review.  It  was 
reprinted  in  several  European  Veterinary  publications.  Auto- 
therapy has  been  adopted  by  a  large  number  of  Veterinarians 
throughout  the  United  States  and  has  become  one  of  the  most 
effective  methods  of  treating  septic  diseases.  A  recitation  of 
the  many  cases  in  which  this  treatment  proved   successful 


I30  AUTOTHERAPY 

could  not  be  given  here,  but  I  may  group  the  different  diseases 
to  which  it  is  applicable  : 

"All  pyogenic  infections,  acute  and  chronic;  influenza  and 
catarrhal  states  of  equines,  distemper,  lobar  pneumonia  of 
equines,  contagious  equine  pneumonia.  In  many  diseases  the 
therapeutic  exudate  gives  brilliant  results  when  used  in  dis- 
eases of  similar  character.  The  following  are  the  micro- 
organisms concerned  in  which  Autotherapy  is  used :  Strep- 
tococci, staphylococci,  necrophorus,  streptococcus  equinus 
(distemper),  bacillus  coli,  bacillus  bipolaris  equisepticus,  etc. 

"  Too  much  credit  and  honor  cannot  be  given  Dr.  Duncan 
when  we  consider  that  Autotherapy  has  not  only  been  a  boon 
to  the  human  race,  but  it  has  extended  its  usefulness  to  suf- 
fering dumb  animals." 

Note. — It  is  with  pleasure  that  the  writer  records  the  able  assistance 
given  him  by  the  nurses  at  the  hospital  in  the  early  development  of 
Autotherapy.  Prominently  among  these  faithful  assistants  who  re- 
corded the  progress  of  patients  and  assisted  in  dressing  their  wounds 
and  giving  the  medication,  was  Miss  Monica  Moore,  the  supervising 
nurse. 

A  number  of  patients  at  the  hospital  owe  their  lives  to  Miss  Moore, 
who  by  ways  known  only  to  nurses  succeeded  in  having  them  placed 
under  the  author's  surgical  supervision. 


— —  III  P'igtffiD  ^igiirlk  i[ilh^  __ 

nt  \ts  regular i)?cbruary  15,1914  meeting 
unanimouel}!  paaaed  the  follouiing  re«olution0: 

Im  view  »f  the  fofi  lh»t,tvfit-y  vetertnary  ^ysietan  hat  htid  an  opportunity  af  he^rfttlin^  iy  ir.  Btinffufi  h.tehm^. 
h  view  y  the  fort  thit,  wterimry  physitiAit  in  all  parts  of  fit  worid  are  nnm^  ditedset  m  aaimth  kf  his  melhad. 
h  titwa/lke  fi>Hthat.wfoye3^Mt9/frat»fydP  loBrDMCott  net  only/or  hf$  metkoti of  re/ietinu  tinH 
'ewrMO  aiM  ^tnima/s,  htii  f»r  kumtna  A3  l/e//^ 

■  ht  view  ef  the  faf*^  that,  ki$  method  (flreatinpilmiae  he  rilh    AlfrOTH£flAP)t  wi/f  endure  for  fiU  hme  iitd /iiH^erp 
ts  AppnrenNy  no  limit  to  the  pessihttities  of  its  devehpmenti 

h  view  of  the  fact  tfiat  the  prinetple$  that  andertie  the  cures  mode  hy  autotherspy  sf»  evertestinf  and  immuU^le, 
.  In  view  of  the  fact  that.  Pr  Suncan  has  beta  whoity  apinistie  in  plaeinff  his  method  0/ ci/rtnf  disease 

oefore  the  met/icaf  profession  that  all  may  be  saved  from  s^fferiny  and  death  from  focalited  diseases,  that  human  and  ammai 
life  wfly  be  tenfthened  iy  the  application  of  the  principles  he  has  discovertd; 

h  viev  </ the  fact  that  he  has  despised  money  and  tie  grosser  thinas  0/ the  world  and  has  heea premptta 
iy  the  highest  metives  ^  kve  atd  sympathy  fy  men  and  beast,  that  he  has  fofieisastketfy  yi'rea  i^  method  if  trettta^  disease  freely  to  att; 

in  view  of  Ihe  fact  that,  his  name  wilt  always  he  in  the  hearts  and  on  the  tongue  of  men  in  qrateful 

appreciation   and  acknowted^ement   of  this,  his  yreat  work,  fn  AUTQTH£fiAPYi  "^         '  '        ' 

In  view  of  the  fact  that,  his  Autottiorapy  markea  another  mile-atone  in  the  history  of  medicine  i 

Be  it  resolved  Mr.  PreaidenI,  that    v^a,  the   yetennary  ph^sicisns  constitulma  the 

Veterinary  MQcltcal  Association  of  Nev^  York  City,  eitpress  our acknowledgomenl  and  a^recialion  to 

Charles H: Duncan  M.D.    •>"ftfinf  ,nj  ^ulUbl.   manner  iy  electing  h,m   an 

Honorary  Member  of 
The.  Veterinary  Medical  Association  of  Naw  York  City. 

Be  il  furfhtr  rmtolved  thai  A  copy  of  Itieae  rvsoiuliona  li»  suitably  enorosaed  and 
presented  to  him  as  a  tesHmonial  of  lite  fiyh  esteem  in  it'AieA  Xe  i$  title 6^  kn  ire/lute  m  me*eiM.  Me  }6/enneiy  Pnyaie/ana. 


m 


We  seek  to — 
"Pluck  the  lustre  from  the  stars  and  lose  the  jewels  at  our  feet." 


CHAPTER  VII 
♦ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE 

In  every  scientific  discussion  we  should  be  guided  by  facts 
and  not  by  sentiment.  There  is  no  room  in  medicine  for  the 
physician  who  would  refrain  from  giving  his  patient  curative 
medicine,  on  account  of  its  not  being  pretty,  or  of  associations 
in  his  own  mind  that  make  it  abhorrent.  A  physician 
is  justified  in  giving  his  patient  anything  that  will  cure 
him. 

Dr.  Elbert  Hubbard  aptly  said  of  Autotherapy :  "  We  move 
from  the  complex  to  the  simple  and  the  obvious  is  the  last 
thing  we  learn."  More  correctly  speaking  he 'Should  have 
said,  "  Some  of  us  move,"  for  there  appears  to  be  a  certain 
percentage  of  physicians  to  whom  the  word  "  move,"  in  a 
therapeutic  sense  has  no  meaning. 

The  stock  vaccines,  inaccurate  at  best,  are  woefully  deficient 
in  this  infection,  and  are  not  endorsed  by  many  of  the  best 
authorities. 

There  is  a  distinct  place  in  therapeutics  for  any  curative 

*  The  writer  conducted  a  genito-urinary  clinic  at  one  of  the  large 
hospitals  in  New  York  City,  for  several  years  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  the  technic  of  the  application  of  Autotherapy  to  genito- 
urinary infections. 

X3I 


132  AUTOTHERAPY 

agent  that  will  even  mildly  affect  the  course  of  this  infection. 

We  are  led  to  beheve  that  a  patient  seldom  recovers  from  a 
severe  gonorrheal  infection.  Statistics  tell  us  that  the  propor- 
tion of  young  men  having  gonorrhea  is  appalling,  and  a  very 
large  percentage  of  all  major  operations  on  the  female  pelvis 
may  be  traced  either  directly  or  indirectly  to  gonorrhea.  The 
infection  is  deep  in  its  erosive  action,  much  deeper  than  we 
formerly  believed,  and  far  reaching  in  its  effect;  of  this  we 
will  speak  later. 

Either  male  or  female  patients  suffering  with  acute  gonor- 
rhea may  be  successfully  treated  by  Autotherapy  provided 
the  treatment  is  properly  instituted  sufficiently  early  along  the 
lines  suggested. 

In  Autotherapy  we  autoimmunize  the  patient,  i.e.,  immunize 
him  to  his  own  unmodified  infecting  microorganisms.  When 
we  can  do  this  before  the  infecting  microorganisms  burrow 
too  deep  into  the  urethral  tract,  and  thus  begin  a  kind  of 
trench  warfare,  as  it  were,  we  are  fortunate. 

The  writer  is  well  aware  that  exceptions  may  be  taken  to  the 
method  of  treating  gonorrhea  he  suggested  originally,  in  medi- 
cal articles  dealing  with  the  subject,  not  because  it  lacks  thera- 
peutic value  but  because  of  associations  in  our  own  mind 
which  make  it  abhorrent.  Original  investigations  are  carried 
out  by  beginning  first  with  a  principle  then,  step  at  a  time, 
investigating  the  various  avenues  of  thought  that  open.  In 
other  words  we  must  crawl  before  we  walk  and  walk  before 
we  run.  The  exception  taken  to  this  treatment  is  because 
many  do  not  get  beyond  the  first  step  and  emphasize  the  means 
the  writer  made  use  of  in  developing  this  treatment. 

Now  let  us  stop  right  here  and  have  a  mutual  understanding 
lest  any  one  should  utterly  forget  the  scientific  nature  of  the 
principle  involved  and  thereby  suffer  his  sensibilities  to  be 
shocked. 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE  133 

If  men  and  women  will  expose  themselves  to  gonorrhea, 
they  are  in  no  position  to  object  to  any  effective  treatment 
that  may  be  suggested. 

The  autotherapeutic  technic  for  treating  the  male  that  was 
originally  made  use  of  in  the  early  stages  of  the  development 
of  this  treatment  is  as  follows:  Irrigate  the  urethra  twice 
daily  with  distilled  water  and  give  it  to  the  patient  to  drink, 
disguised  if  necessary  for  psychic  effect,  with  grape- juice  just 
previous  to  its  administration. 

It  appears  that  from  many  hundred  tests  that  have  been 
made  that  it  is  difficult  to  give  the  patient  too  much  of  his 
own  discharge  in  this  way.  It  also  appears  that  the  greater 
number  of  live  autogenous  pathogenic  microorganisms  they 
take,  the  more  quickly  will  be  manifested  the  curative  effect, 
namely, — reduction  of  the  acute  inflammation,  lessening  of 
the  discharge  and  the  subsidence  of  buboes,  etc.  In  order 
that  more  microorganisms  may  be  given,  subsequent  partients 
were  given  three  condoms  in  which  to  collect  the  discharge 
between  treatments. 

There  may  be  and  probably  are  limits  to  the  number  of  live 
gonocci  taken  in  this  way,  but  the  writer  has  never  seen 
any  ill  effects  manifested  by  giving  all  the  discharge  he 
was  able  to  obtain.  It  is  a  perfectly  safe  procedure  and 
no  fears  need  be  entertained  by  following  the  above 
technic. 

In  order  that  the  unsavory  nature  of  the  technic  might  be 
eliminated  and  the  treatment  be  robbed  of  features  which  are 
objectionable  to  many,  the  following  technic  was  instituted : 
Collect  the  discharge  for  twenty-four  hours  before  treatment 
is  begun  (in  condoms).  One-half  drachm  of  this  is  mixed  with 
an  ounce  of  water — this  is  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve  hours 
at  body  temperature,  with  occasional  agitation;  after  which 
time  it  is  filtered  through  a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Appa- 


134  AUTOTHERAPY 

ratus  and  the  bacteria-free  filtrate  is  injected  subcutaneously, 
in  proper  doses  and  intervals  between  doses.  The  average 
dose  is  from  five  to  twenty  minims — from  two  to  five  days 
apart ;  but  we  should  always  treat  the  patient  according  to  his 
needs  and  not  the  disease. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  there  are  advantages  and  dis- 
advantages in  each  of  the  above  methods  of  treatment.  One 
advantage  of  the  oral  method  is — the  treatment  is  begun 
early — no  time  is  lost.  This  is  no  mean  advantage  when  one 
realizes  the  deep  erosive  action  of  the  microorganisms  and 
how  quickly  they  may  at  times  burrow  beyond  the  reach  of 
local  application.  The  advantages  of  the  second  are  as  stated 
above  that  the  treatment  cannot  be  objected  to  even  by  the 
most  fastidious  as  the  filtrate  is  perfectly  transparent  and 
odorless.  One  of  the  disadvantages  of  the  second  method  of 
treatment  is  that  valuable  time  is  lost  before  the  treatment  is 
begun.  In  order  that  the  best  results  may  be  obtained  the 
writer  frequently  combines  these  treatments.  The  micro- 
organisms are  caught  in  condoms  for  twelve  hours,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  the  oral  method  of  treatment  is  instituted — dur- 
ing the  time  the  oral  or  buccal  treatment  is  given,  the  filtrate 
is  prepared — this  usually  takes  from  twelve  to  twenty-four 
hours ;  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  first  hypodermic  injec- 
tion is  given.  After  the  first  hypodermic  injection  is  given, 
of  the  bacteria-free  filtrate,  the  oral  method  is  discontinued. 
The  reason  for  this  is  plain  and  it  is  well  for  those  who  inject 
the  nonpurulent  serous  fluids  of  the  body  back  into  the  body 
without  filtration  to  mark  this  step  in  the  technic.  After  the 
first  treatment  is  given  the  antigenic  spur  of  the  toxins  re- 
maining in  the  body  is  altered,  and  the  aggressins  in  the 
subsequent  exudate  employed  therapeutically  are  then  not  so 
aggressive  or  curative  as  were  the  toxins  developed  in  the  body 
before  any  treatment  of  the  kind  was  instituted.      For  this 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE  135 

reason  the  writer  obtains  the  discharge  before  any  treatment 
is  given  and  preserves  the  toxins  by  filtration.  If  it  is 
properly  filtered,  that  is,  if  all  the  microorganisms  are 
removed,  under  strict  aseptic  technic,  the  filtrate  will  keep 
for  several  weeks  or  months,  and  is  rich  in  aggressins.  Its 
elective  affinity  or  tropism  is  unaltered  by  any  culture  media. 
The  treatment  should  be  given  early.  If  not  the  microorgan- 
isms lodging  in  some  crypt  or  follicle,  destroy  by  their  erosive 
action  the  continuity  of  the  mucosa  and  burrow  deep,  safely 
away  from  local  irrigation  and  antiseptics,  etc.  The  methods 
of  dislodging  the  invaders  from  their  recently  installed  resi- 
dence, or  of  destroying  them  are  not  within  the  province  of  this 
discussion.  When  the  resistance  of  the  patient  is  lowered  for 
any  reason,  the  microorganisms  from  their  intrenched  position 
pour  out  their  toxins,  and  these  give  rise  to  many  symptoms. 
The  tissue  changes  incident  to  the  prolonged  inflammation 
tend  towards  stricture  and  render  the  locus  of  infection  more 
or  less  inaccessible  to  the  blood  stream  and  its  immunizing 
antibodies. 

In  considering  a  new  method  of  treatment  and  one  that 
departs  so  widely  from  accepted  methods,  there  are  important 
questions  that  must  be  satisfactorily  answered  before  skepti- 
cism is  replaced  by  confidence.  A  fair  trial  has  convinced 
many  hundreds  of  physicians  of  the  great  therapeutic  value 
of  this  method  of  treatment  and  answered  other  burning  ques- 
tions relative  to  the  autotherapeutic  treatment  of  acute  gonor- 
rhea. The  first  question  that  naturally  arises  is — Is  it  not 
dangerous?  The  second  question  is — Is  there  any  curative 
effect  manifested  after  this  treatment  is  instituted?  Until 
the  first  question  is  satisfactorily  answered  we  are  in  no  posi- 
tion to  consider  the  second. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  first  is  answered  fully  in  the 
succeeding  paragraphs.    With  the  first  question  settled,  there  is 


136  AUTOTHERAPY 

no  logical  reason  why  tests  should  not  be  made  by  the  prac- 
titioner regarding  the  second.  If  tests  are  made  on  a  series 
of  cases,  all  fears  will  be  allayed,  and  doubts  as  to  the  great 
therapeutic  effect  of  this  treatment  will  vanish.  The  writer 
wishes  to  be  distinctly  understood  as  offering  autotherapeutic 
treatment  of  acute  gonorrhea  simply  as  an  adjuvant  and  sup- 
portive treatment  which  in  no  way  interferes  with  effective 
methods  now  in  use,  except  that  antiseptics  should  not  con- 
taminate the  discharges  that  are  to  be  employed. 

The  beauty  or  homeliness  of  a  method  of  treatment  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  subject  from  a  scientific  point  of  view, 
so  we  will  dismiss  this  phase  of  the  discussion  at  once.  Any 
one  who  has  practiced  medicine  for  even  a  few  years  has 
heard  of,  and  seen  personally  a  number  of  cases  of  gonorrheal 
ophthalmia.  The  oculist  has  seen  many  cases.  If  gonorrhea 
is  infectious  through,  or  by  the  mouth,  we  would  have  seen 
more  infected  mouth  cases  than  eye  cases,  for  the  hands  go 
to  the  mouth  many  times  when  they  go  to  the  eyes  but  sel- 
dom. Especially  is  this  true  if  the  patient  is  warned  to  keep 
his  hands  away  from  his  eyes.  We  never  warn  them  to  keep 
them  away  from  the  mouth.  Gonorrhea  of  the  urethra  often 
causes  frequent  micturition,  and  in  the  various  toilets  visited 
during  the  day  for  that  purpose  there  is  often  no  means  for 
washing  or  cleansing  the  hands  after  the  cotton  or  bag  has 
been  removed  and  replaced.  Truck  drivers,  laborers,  young 
men  and  those  of  the  lower  classes  are  not  always  cautious  in 
this  particular.  They  often  do  not  know  the  meaning  of 
asepsis,  they  more  frequently  take  a  chew,  or  light  a  cigarette 
or  even  eat  their  meals,  after  perhaps  merely  wiping  their 
hands  on  their  overalls;  yet  we  rarely  see  gonorrhea  of  the 
mouth  in  these  individuals.  Gonorrhea  is  highly  infectious 
to  the  eye,  but  the  writer  has  yet  to  hear  of  a  case  of  infec- 
tion of  the  mouth  and  throat  following  an  infection  of  the  eye. 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE  137 

The  tear  duct  drains  the  infected  eye  into  the  nose.  The 
gonococci  hence  must  come  in  contact  with  the  nose,  posterior 
nares,  pharynx,  mouth,  larynx  and  stomach,  and  in  some  few 
cases  these  regions  would  have  become  infected  if  gonorrhea 
is  infectious  to  these  membranes.  Now  the  fact  that  we 
seldom  see  or  hear  of  infections  of  the  latter  leads  one  to 
believe  that  gonorrhea  is  not  infectious  to  the  unbroken 
mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth,  throat,  and  alimentary  canal. 
Whether  the  nasal  secretion  or  the  saliva,  or  the  inhibitory 
action  of  the  mucosa  of  the  nose  and  throat  is  the  cause  of  the 
immunity  from  infection  of  these  cavities  is  a  subject  that 
will  bear  investigation.  It  is  the  ratio  of  infections  after 
exposure  to  the  escape  that  is  our  best  guide  in  determining 
the  relative  chances  of  an  infection  taking  place.  If  this  ratio 
is  very  small,  or  fractional,  or  scarcely  heard  of,  it  may  be 
considered  as  negligible,  and  need  not  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion. Gonorrhea  appears  to  be  no  more  liable  to  infect  the 
unbroken  mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth  than  the  staphylo- 
coccus and  streptococcus. 

The  writer  did  not  discover  a  single  case  of  gonorrhea  of 
the  mouth  in  a  large  G.  U.  Clinic  conducted  by  him  for  several 
years  for  the  purpose  of  developing  this  method  of  treatment 
in  a  district  where  if  it  were  prevalent,  he  believes  he  would 
have  seen  it.  He  then  made  it  a  point  to  go  with  a  company 
of  physicians  into  the  darker  section  of  New  York  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  knowledge  of  it  at  first  hand,  from  the 
people  who  are  exposed  to  gonorrhea  of  the  mouth  many 
times  during  a  single  night.  These  people  scout  the  idea  of  its 
being  infectious  by  the  mouth. 

Abundant  observations  conclusively  prove  that  about  all 
prostitutes  are  gonorrheal  carriers,  but  we  rarely  see  this  dis- 
ease to  recognize  it  in  the  mouth.  It  appears  in  the  light  of 
these  investigations,  that  having  the  gonococcus  in  the  mouth 


138  AUTOTHERAPY 

renders  them  more  or  less  immune  to  vaginal  infections  even 
with  the  multitude  of  gonococci  in  the  vagina.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  many  of  these  women  at  times  have  gonococci  in 
the  mouth  as  well  as  in  the  vagina.  Men  at  times  kiss  these 
gonorrheal  carriers,  and  if  it  were  infectious  by  the  mouth 
our  young  men  and  boys  would  have  become  infected  in  the 
mouth  at  least  occasionally,  but  here  again  we  rarely  see  the 
disease.  The  only  conclusion  that  can  possibly  be  drawn  from 
the  above  observations  is  that  the  possibility  of  gonorrheal 
infection  of  the  mouth  is  so  slight  as  to  be  practically  dis- 
regarded. 

The  next  question  to  be  answered  is :  will  there  be  a  cura- 
tive reaction  in  the  tissues  if  the  autogenous  gonorrheal  pus 
is  placed  on  the  buccal  cavity?  The  microorganism  of  gonor- 
rhea is  of  the  coccus  family.  Now  the  writer  has  proven 
beyond  all  shadow  of  doubt  that  two  members  of  the  coccus 
family,  namely,  the  staphylococcus  and  streptococcus,  are 
miraculously  curative  in  the  extra-alimentary  and  extra- 
pulmonary diseases  caused  by  them  if  the  live  autogenous 
microorganisms  are  taken  by  the  mouth.  That  is,  the  healthy 
tissues  with  which  the  microorganisms  come  in  contact  by  way 
of  the  mouth,  being  remote  from  the  seat  of  infection,  de- 
velop specific  antibodies  to  the  disease.  These  pass  on  in  the 
circulation  to  the  seat  of  infection. 

This  method  of  preventing  gonorrhea  may  be  at  times  help- 
ful in  preventing  those  fearful  family  tragedies  we  all  have 
seen  in  general  and  hospital  practice  where  the  husband  or 
wife  infects  the  consort. 

Case  6i.  Patient,  female,  semi-prostitute,  had  marked  evi- 
dence of  clinical  gonorrhea;  both  Bartholinian  glands  were 
swollen  to  the  size  of  the  thumb.  There  was  an  extensive 
excoriation  of  both  thighs.  The  whole  vulva  was  swollen  and 
pouty.    The  labia  majora  and  minora  were  inflamed  and  rigid. 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE         139 

From  the  majora  the  inflammation  had  extended  to  the  cuticle 
on  the  mons  veneris  and  the  crease  of  the  groin.  The  dis- 
charge was  thick,  yellow  and  copious  and  came  from  the 
urethra.  About  half  a  teaspoonful  was  collected  from  the 
cervix  and  vaginal  walls.  Upon  being  told  she  had  gonorrhea, 
she  said  she  had  two  male  friends  whom  she  had  exposed  to 
the  infection  a  few  days  before.  One  of  these  was  her  em- 
ployer, a  married  man.  Could  the  writer  give  him  some  medi- 
cine that  would  prevent  his  having  it?  He  had  noticed  that 
morning  an  uneasiness  or  a  tickling  of  the  urethra,  and  hav- 
ing previously  had  gonorrhea  several  times  he  knew  the  symp- 
toms, and  was  under  the  impression  he  had  the  disease  at  this 
time.  He  said  he  noticed  a  small  morning  drop.  I  told  him 
if  he  would  follow  my  instructions  I  would  do  what  I  could 
to  stop  it,  and  that  I  believed  I  could.  This  was  the  fourth 
day  after  exposure.  I  mixed  the  discharge  from  the  female 
patient  with  about  an  ounce  of  powdered  sugar  as  a  men- 
struum. It  made  a  thick  paste.  Of  this  I  gave  him  about  one 
cubic  centimeter  by  the  mouth  and  told  him  to  hold  it  there  for 
five  minutes  before  swallowing  it.  In  half  an  hour  I  gave  him  a 
second  dose;  and  again  in  half  an  hour  I  gave  him  the  third 
and  last  dose.  I  cautioned  him  against  getting  it  in  the  eye, 
but  told  him  to  place  any  and  all  discharge  he  was  able  to  ob- 
tain from  his  urethra  on  his  tongue,  and  to  return  the  next 
day.  He  reported  the  next  day  the  tickling  in  the  urethra  did 
not  stop;  there  was  just  barely  a  morning  drop;  there  was  no 
staining  of  clothes  or  evidence  of  discomfort.  On  the  tenth 
day  he  told  me  there  was  no  tickling  or  abnormal  sensation 
and  no  evidence  of  gonorrhea  that  the  writer  could  in  any  way 
discover  except  a  few  shreds  in  the  urine.  In  other  words 
the  disease  appeared  to  have  been  forestalled.  The  writer  upon 
close  questioning  obtained  the  bit  of  interesting  information 
that  the  patient  had  been  drinking  on  an  average  of  three 
glasses  of  whiskey  and  beer  daily.  The  patient  was  enthusi- 
astic over  the  treatment ;  he  did  not  mind  it.  "  Would  it 
cure?"  was  all  he  wanted  to  know.  Satisfied  in  this,  he  was 
anxious  to  go  the  limit.  Four  weeks  afterwards,  when  there 
was  no  apparent  evidence  of  the  disease  and  when  he  said  he 
had  entirely  recovered,  I  gave  him  three  more  pills  in  a  man- 


140  AUTOTHERAPY 

ner  similar  to  the  first  three.  The  next  day  he  said  the  disease 
was  coming  back,  the  irritation  and  moisture  had  returned. 
He  said  he  had  gonorrhea  again,  but  he  did  not ;  it  was  the 
aggravation  of  the  negative  phase  resulting  from  the  medica- 
tion. It  cleared  up  in  a  few  days.  The  writer  believes  this 
is  proof  that  this  medication  taken  by  the  mouth  has  a  direct 
action  on  the  urethra.  He  bases  his  conclusion  of  cure  of  this 
patient  on  the  lack  of  demonstrable  lesions,  the  history  of  the 
case  and  the  pronounced  characteristic  and  other  toxic  mani- 
festations of  the  disease  both  in  the  female  and  in  the  other 
male  consort. 

Case  62.  Patient,  male,  L.  T.  R.,  who  appeared  for  treat- 
ment February  15,  1912.  Was  exposed  nine  days  previous. 
The  first  indication  of  gonorrhea  was  on  the  sixth  day.  There 
was  a  free  discharge,  the  meatus  was  pouty  and  red,  tingling  on 
urination.  Gonorrhea  pronounced  positive  microscopically  by 
Dr.  Henry  T.  Brooks  of  New  York  City.  The  patient  was 
instructed  to  place  the  discharge  on  the  tongue.  February  16, 
no  change.  He  took  the  discharge  several  times.  February  17, 
very  much  less  discharge,  inflammation  subsiding,  patient  bet- 
ter in  every  way.  February  18,  a  clean  bag  was  put  in  place  at 
9  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  there  was  but  a  small  amount  of 
staining  at  6  o'clock  at  night.  No  tingling  on  urination  or 
other  discomfort.  February  22,  the  bag  was  just  barely  stained 
after  twenty-four  hours.  This  is  a  typical  case  and  illustrates 
what  can  be  expected  of  this  treatment.  In  two  weeks  the  dis- 
charge had  stopped  altogether. 

Case  63.  Patient,  married  man,  aged  forty  years,  who  ap- 
peared at  the  clinic  December  5,  191 1.  He  had  practically  all 
the  symptoms  of  acute  gonorrhea,  following  an  exposure  ten 
days  before.  Microscopical  examination  was  positive.  He  had 
exposed  his  wife  and  was  anxious  that  the  writer  should  treat 
her  also.  I  told  'him  to  send  her  to  me  as  soon  as  possible. 
She  came  the  next  day,  I  placed  some  of  his  discharge  in  an 
ounce  of  water  and  shook  it  up  well.  She  was  given  this  to 
drink  in  divided  doses.  I  saw  her  at  the  end  of  one,  two  and 
three  weeks,  and  could  discover  no  lesion  or  evidence  of  the 
disease  in  any  way  that  could  lead  to  even  a  suspicion  of 
gonorrhea. 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE  141 

The  result  of  all  my  observations  of  many  cases,  indicates 
that  when  the  crude  gonorrheal  pus  from  an  infected  urethra 
comes  in  contact  with  the  lymphatics  of  a  buccal  cavity  it  will 
tend  to  act  in  a  curative  manner.  If  the  live  virulent  micro- 
organisms be  given  early  enough  the  treatment  will  often 
forestall  severe  infection.  If  it  is  given  two  days  after  the 
discharge  first  makes  it  appearance,  the  microorganism  will 
often  disappear  from  the  discharge  in  from  twenty- four  tb 
forty-eight  hours,  the  discharge  itself  will  lessen,  and  usually 
disappear  in  from  seven  to  ten  days.  When  acute  gonorrhea 
is  treated  by  this  simple  method  there  is  less  chance  of  sequelae 
in  the  shape  of  strictures,  buboes,  etc.,  than  by  any  other  form 
of  medication  for  the  inflammatory  stage  is, usually  checked 
early.  Experiments  in  treating  gleet  by  this  method  have  not 
been  always  successful,  although  there  have  been  no  bad 
results. 

A  treatment  so  contrary  to  experience,  so  new  and  radical 
is  bound  to  create  more  or  less  adverse  criticism  and  yet  as 
we  consider  it  in  its  various  aspects  the  rational  basis  of  this 
method  appeals  to  the  medical  mind  as  agreeing  practically 
with  all  we  know  of  biological  therapeutics.  The  writer  would 
suggest  to  those  who  are  disposed  to  criticise  this  method  ad- 
versely to  withhold  giving  expression  to  their  opinion  until  they 
have  given  it  a  fair  trial. 

Surely  its  simplicity  must  appeal  to  every  one  and  it  is 
within  the  power  of  practically  every  physician  to  test  it  for 
himself.  If  there  is  danger  in  placing  crude  gonorrheal  pus 
on  the  patient's  tongue  the  writer  has  never  seen  it.  He 
courts  investigation  of  this  method  of  treatment  by  any  one 
who  will  give  it  a  thorough  trial.  The  clinical  symptoms  are  a 
good  guide  in  determining  whether  the  medication  should 
be  pushed  or  withheld.  The  writer  believes  that  when  the 
remarkable  curative  effect  of  this  exceedingly  simple  thera- 


142  AUTOTHERAPY 

peutic    measure    becomes    widely    known    it    will    be    used 
extensively. 

In  gonorrheal  ophthalmia  a  solution  of  the  discharge  should 
be  filtered  and  the  filtrate  injected  hypodermatically  in  the 
manner  described. 
\  If  anything  can  be  done  to  help  wipe  out  the  "  social 
scourge  "  even  to  taking  gonorrheal  pus  by  the  mouth,  it  will 
be  a  blessing  for  which  humanity  has  long  waited.  Now  let 
us  see  what  other  criticisms  can  be  made,  and  what  grounds 
there  are  for  these.  The  first  criticism  is  based  on  the  pre- 
vailing opinion  that  the  cocci  are  solely  endotoxic  in  character. 
I  wish  to  make  a  protest  against  this  misleading  text-book 
teaching.  The  dead  bodies  of  the  cocci  are  undoubtedly  toxic; 
in  fact  we  believe  there  is  more  endocellular  toxin  than  extra- 
cellular toxin  in  the  staphylococcus  and  streptococcus,  yet  the 
writer  has  proved  that  sufficient  extracellular  toxins  may  be 
washed  out  of  them  with  a  small  quantity  of  distilled  water 
and  that  when  this  is  passed  through  a  Berkefeld  filter,  the 
filtrate  may  be  injected  hypodermatically  and  will  manifest  a 
curative  and  abortive  tendency.  There  are  sufficient  toxins  of 
the  gonococcus  obtained  in  the  filtrate  to  autoimmunize  the 
patient,  and  if  the  dose  and  the  interval  between  doses  are 
properly  regulated,  this  treatment  will  aid  materially  our  pres- 
ent accepted  methods. 

Non-specific  acute  urethritis  is  treated  in  a  similar 
manner. 

Case  64,  Patient,  male,  age  26  years,  exposure  two  weeks 
previous.  He  was  in  the  acute  inflammatory  stage  of  the  dis- 
ease and  was  despondent,  as  are  all  patients  suffering  from 
gonorrhea  in  this  stage — not  from  psychic  effect,  for  de- 
spondency is  a  characteristic  symptom  of  gonorrheal  toxins. 
The  discharge  was  collected  in  the  usual  manner  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  two  ounces  of  filtrate  were  made ;  to  each  ounce 
of  filtrate  three  drops  of  tricresol  were  added.    The  urethra 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE         143 

was  irrigated  with  an  ounce  of  tap  water,  to  this  was  added 
about  a  drachm  of  grape-juice.  It  was  given  the  patient  to 
drink  in  one  dose.  This  oral  treatment  was  kept  up  daily  for 
eight  days.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  he  knew  he  was 
decidedly  better,  the  discharge  was  much  decreased  and  the 
inflammation  was  subsiding.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day 
there  was  very  little  staining  of  the  cotton  in  the  bag,  at  the 
end  of  the  eighth  day  there  was  not  more  than  a  drop  or  two 
in  twenty-four  hours.  He  was  then  placed  on  a  urethral  tonic 
composed  of  kava-kava,  etc.,  and  copaiba  tablets,  two  after 
each  meal  and  two  at  bedtime  and  given  a  hypodermic  injec- 
tion of  five  drops  of  filtrate  mixed  with  2  c.c.  of  distilled 
water.  But  little  cutaneous  and  constitutional  reaction  fol- 
lowed, and  in  two  days  he  was  given  15  drops  of  the  filtrate 
mixed  with  4  c.c.  of  distilled  water  subcutaneously.  In  five 
days  the  discharge  stopped  altogether.  He  was  kept  on  ure- 
thral tonics,  however,  for  a  week  longer  when  the  case  was  dis- 
charged, with  usual  precautions  as  to  diet,  drink,  etc.  If  this 
patient's  urethra  had  been  irrigated  every  two  hours  for  the 
first  ten  days  when  awake,  with  10  per  cent,  argyrol,  the  recov- 
ery would  have  been  more  rapid.  In  about  one  case  in  a  hun- 
dred this  treatment  will  aggravate  an  old  pyorrhea  alveolaris ; 
when  this  occurs  scrubbing  the  teeth  briskly  with  listerine 
every  four  hours  stops  the  infection  of  the  gums  withm  forty- 
eight  hours.  In  treating  cases  of  acute  urethritis  by  means  of 
Autotherapy,  do  not  miss  a  day  in  the  oral  treatment. 

Case  65.  Patient,  male,  age  32  years,  exposure  seven  days 
previous;  there  was  no  discharge,  but  the  patient  having 
had  gonorrhea  seven  times,  knew  the  symptoms.  His 
partner  in  copulation  was  found  to  be  suffering  with  acute 
gonorrhea  positively  identified  under  the  microscope.  He  was 
given  about  three  drops  of  mucus  from  the  cervix  in  water  by 
the  mouth  and  in  twenty-four  hours  a  hypodermic  injection  of 
I  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  made  by  mixing  five  drops  of  a  sample  of 
the  same  mucus  with  an  ounce  of  water  and  prepared  in  the 
usual  manner.  He  was  given  this  injection  every  three  days, 
for  twelve  days.  Aside  from  a  few  shreds  in  the  urine  there 
was  no  evidence  that  this  man  had  ever  had  gonorrhea.  Many 
cases  have  been  treated  with  similar  results. 


144  AUTOTHERAPY 

Case  66.  Patient,  male,  age  22  years.  After  seven  days 
exposure  a  small  drop  was  noticed  in  the  morning.  He  was 
given  I  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  obtained  from  Case  64,  mixed  with 
2  c.c.  of  water  hypodermatically.  He  was  given  four  of 
these  injections  two  days  apart.  He  was  placed  on  urethral 
tonics  in  the  usual  manner  for  ten  days,  when  the  case  was 
discharged.     There  were  still  a  few  shreds  in  the  urine. 

Case  67.  Patient,  male,  age  28  years,  travelling  salesman — 
two  weeks  after  exposure  applied  for  treatment.  There  was 
a  copious  discharge,  phimosis,  and  two  lymphatic  involve- 
ments in  the  groin  that  were  exceedingly  painful.  The  ure- 
thra was  irrigated  with  an  ounce  of  distilled  water.  The 
patient  was  given  a  condom  to  be  worn  during  the  succeeding 
six  hours  when  the  urethra  was  again  irrigated  in  a  similar 
manner.  The  condom  contained  about  half  a  drachm  of  pus — 
the  same  treatment  was  again  instituted  and  in  six  hours  an- 
other half  drachm  of  pus  was  obtained — the  pus  was  mixed  in 
the  ounce  of  irrigations  and  thoroughly  shaken,  when  it  was  fil- 
tered in  the  usual  manner.  One  c.c.  of  the  immunizing  filtrate 
was  injected  subcutaneously.  At  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours 
the  swelling  of  the  glands  and  the  phimosis  were  distinctly  bet- 
ter. The  buboes  were  markedly  improved.  The  patient  was 
given  10  per  cent,  solution  of  argyrol  with  instructions  to  irri- 
gate the  urethra  every  four  hours,  holding  it  each  time  in  the 
urethra  for  five  minutes  by  the  clock.  The  patient  received 
hypodermic  injections  of  the  filtered  toxins  on  the  ist,  3rd, 
5th,  and  7th  days  of  treatment,  at  the  end  of  which  time  there 
was  scarcely  any  evidence  of  discharge.  He  was  then  placed 
on  urethral  tonics  and  eventually  recovered.  The  microscopi- 
cal examination  revealed  large  colonies  of  the  diplococcus  of 
Neisser  both  intra-cellular  and  extra-cellular. 

Case  68.  Patient,  male,  age  36  years,  a  sailor,  applied  for 
treatment  three  weeks  after  exposure.  The  discharge  was 
thick  and  copious — the  glans  much  inflamed  and  the  corpus 
spongiosum  was  hard  and  indurated  its  full  length.  There 
was  some  pouting  of  the  lips  and  the  prepuce  edematous.  The 
urethra  was  irrigated  with  an  ounce  of  distilled  water  and 
he  was  given  a  condom  and  told  to  return  in  twelve  hours.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  considerably  over  a  drachm  of  pus  was 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE         145 

obtained.  This  was  mixed  with  the  irrigation,  well  shaken 
in  a  bottle  and  filtered  at  once.  2  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  were 
injected  subcutaneously  over  the  biceps  muscle  and  the  micro- 
organisms that  failed  to  pass  through  the  filter  were  poured 
off  and  given  to  him  in  about  one  ounce  of  water.  Within 
twenty-four  hours  marked  improvement  had  set  in.  The  glans 
had  receded  to  its  normal  size  with  corrugations  on  its  surface, 
the  result  of  its  rapid  reduction  in  size.  The  discharge  was 
not  more  than  one- fourth  what  it  had  been  before  the  treatment 
was  instituted.  This  patient  received  hypodermic  injections 
on  the  4th,  7th  and  loth  days.  At  this  time  there  was  scarcely 
more  than  a  drop  or  two  of  discharge  present.  He  was  then 
placed  on  urethral  tonics. 

Case  69.  Patient,  male,  42  years,  applied  for  treatment  on 
the  i6th  day  after  exposure.  There  was  burning  on  urina- 
tion, priapism  and  a  thick  creamy  discharge.  Prostate  was 
large  and  tender  and  the  patient  was  called  upon  to  void  urine 
every  half  hour  to  an  hour.  He  was  in  much  distress  and  his 
appetite  was  seriously  impaired.  He  had  pains  all  over  his 
body  and  particularly  in  the  knees,  necessitating  his  walking 
with  two  canes.  His  eyes  were  bloodshot — his  left  testicle 
and  cord  exceedingly  tender.  Half  a  drachm  of  pus  was  ob- 
tained in  a  condom  in  the  usual  manner,  a  filtrate  made  and 
of  this  he  received  a  hypodermic  injection  of  10  drops  daily 
for  three  days.  At  the  end  of  this  time  the  patient  had  so  far 
improved  that  he  was  able  to  attend  to  his  business.  This 
patient  had  daily  irrigations  of  permanganate  of  potash  of  a 
light  pink  color.  At  the  end  of  two  weeks  he  was  so  far  im- 
proved that  Autotherapy  was  discontinued  and  he  was  given 
the  usual  method  of  treatment  for  these  conditions.  The  im- 
provement in  this  case  was  quick  and  striking;  the  analysis 
came  back  from  the  pathologist  stating — gonorrhea  positive. 

The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 

Case  70.  Patient  male,  chauffeur,  age  34  years,  residing  in 
the  country,  had  a  characteristic  discharge  five  days  after 
exposure  and  applied  for  treatment  at  once.  Microscopic  ex- 
amination showed  microorganisms,  both  intra-cellular  and 
extra-cellular.  The  patient  was  instructed  to  catch  all  the  dis- 
charge possible  on  the  tip  of  his  finger  and  place  it  in  his 


146  AUTOTHERAPY 

mouth;  he  was  also  instructed  to  take  a  bath  daily  and  open 
his  bowels  with  divided  doses  of  calomel  followed  by 
saline.  In  ten  days  the  discharge  ceased.  At  no  time  dur- 
ing the  treatment  were  there  more  than  two  or  three  drops 
daily.  At  the  end  of  thirty  days  the  shreds  in  the  urine  had 
disappeared. 

Case  71.  Patient,  sailor,  on  United  States  battleship,  24, 
applied  for  treatment  to  his  medical  officer  for  acute  gonor- 
rhea, six  days  after  exposure.  Having  had  it  several  times, 
he  knew  the  symptoms.  The  diagnosis  was  confirmed  by  the 
medical  officer  who  gave  him  the  prescribed  treatment,  but 
instead  of  taking  the  medicine,  he  placed  all  the  discharge  he 
was  able  to  obtain  in  his  mouth,  unknown  to  the  medical  offi- 
cer. The  latter  was  much  surprised  at  the  promptness  with 
which  he  recovered.  Within  two  weeks  there  was  no  evidence 
of  gonorrhea,  other  than  a  few  shreds  in  the  urine. 

Case  72.  Patient  male,  age  30  years,  unusually  intelligent, 
was  exposed  to  gonorrhea,  June  i,  1912.  On  the  5th,  the 
characteristic  early  morning  evidence  of  discharge  was  noticed. 
Realizing  the  fact  that  the  urine  would  wash  out  any  minute 
products  of  inflammation  in  the  urethra,  even  to  the  extent 
of  a  small  fraction  of  a  drop,  he  was  instructed  to  catch  the 
first  ten  drops  of  urine,  at  each  urination,  in  a  small  wine 
glass  and  drink  it;  and  to  attempt  to  void  every  two  hours  or 
oftener.  He  had  no  other  apparent  symptoms,  no  appreciable 
inflammation,  no  burning  or  other  evidence  of  the  disease  than 
the  one  symptom  mentioned  above.  In  five  days  this  had  dis- 
appeared. 

The  diagnosis  of  gonorrhea  was  made  from  a  microscopical 
analysis  of  the  secretions  and  other  manifestations  of  gonor- 
rhea in  his  consort.  She  had  the  characteristic  discharge  of 
blood  and  mucus  from  the  cervix  and  an  infected  Bartholinian 
gland.  A  microscopical  examination  showed  microorganisms 
in  every  field — both  intra-cellular  and  extra-cellular. 

Returning  again  to  the  patient,  there  never  was  more  than 
a  fractional  drop  of  discharge  that  made  its  appearance  at  any 
one  time.  Examined  daily  in  the  office  and  at  times  twice 
daily,  the  writer  was  able  only  twice  to  squeeze  out  enough  of 
the  discharge  to  be  seen.  At  the  end  of  three  weeks  the  urine 
was  clear.     This  treatment  has  been  given  to  many  patients 


ACUTE  GONORRHEA  IN  THE  MALE  147 

with  the  same  resuhs,  in  the  Genito-Urinary  Clinic,  con- 
ducted by  the  writer,  between  the  years  1910  and  1914,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  studying  the  appUcation  of  Autotherapy 
to  genito-urinary  infections. 

Case  73.  Dr.  D.  J.  M.  reports  the  following  case :  Patient 
male,  age  24  years,  came  to  me  with  specific  urethritis  of  five 
days'  standing.  A  drachm  of  mucus  was  collected  in  con- 
doms, from  which  the  following  prescription  was  prepared. 

Rx. 

Urethral  discharge  3  j 

Alcohol  95  per  cent.  q.s.  ad §  iv 

M.  Sig.  Teaspoonful  three  times  a  day. 

In  ten  days  the  discharge  stopped. 

No  antiseptics  should  contaminate  the  discharge  that  is  to  be 
employed  autotherapeutically.  When  it  is  possible  the  patient 
should  be  placed  in  bed  and  an  ice-bag  placed  over  the  urethra 
continuously  for  several  days.  Local  antiseptics  are  not  con- 
traindicated,  provided  the  precautions  previously  mentioned 
are  taken. 

Case  74.  Dr.  Harvey  D.  Morris,  Port  Arthur,  Tex.,  reports 
the  following  case.  Acute  gonorrhea,  patient  given  usual 
treatment,  i.e.,  ten  drops  of  pus  were  shaken  up  with  four 
ounces  of  water,  and  given  in  divided  doses.  In  one  week's 
time  patient  reported  at  office  as  free  from  discharge  and  pain, 
and  up  to  date  no  return  of  symptoms. 

Dr.  E.  Milton  Brown,  of  Mt.  Kisco,  states :  "  I  have  used 
Autotherapy  in  purulent  infections  and  in  acute  gonorrhea  for 
the  past  four  years.  No  treatment  equals  it;  I  have  seen  no 
bad  results." 

Dr.  F.  E.  Mills,  of  New  York  City,  states :  "  I  have  used 
Autotherapy  in  about  two  hundred  cases  at  the  South  Third 
Street,  Brooklyn  Dispensary.  I  have  had  but  few  failures  and 
no  bad  results.    I  value  the  treatment  highly  in  gonorrhea." 

Dr.  John  B.  Campbell,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  reports  very 
marked  beneficial  effect  in  gonorrhea  by  the  autotherapeutic 
treatment. 


Nature  is  the  True  Healer,  The  Physician  Her  Servant." 

— Hippocrates. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS 

The  vast  majority  of  derangements  of  the  female  pelvis  are 
due  either  directly  or  indirectly  to  pathogenic  microorganisms. 
In  the  light  of  modern  biological  investigation  the  obvious 
treatment  is  to  develop  within  the  patient's  body  antibodies 
specific  to  the  invading  microorganisms  or  to  autoimmunize 
the  patient.  Acording  to  the  autotherapeutic  biological  prin- 
ciple previously  enunciated,  there  are  two  methods  of  doing 
this,  namely — Injecting  the  filtrate  of  the  causative  micro- 
organisms subcutaneously  or  by  buccal  immunization,  i.e.,  giv- 
ing the  live  causative  microorganisms  or  their  toxins  by  the 
mouth. 

Abundant  clinical  observation  has  demonstrated  that  in 
gynecology  the  scalpel  is  laid  aside  as  an  instrument  of  rare 
utility  by  physicians  who  treat  their  patients  autotherapeu- 
tically.  For  this  reason  gynecology  should  be  considered  a 
medical  and  not  a  surgical  specialty. 

Autotherapy  in  gynecology  and  obstetrics  speaks  for  itself 
incontrovertibly  in  results.    It  is  results  that  count. 

We  will  not  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  merits  or  demerits 
of  vaccine  treatment  in  its  relation  to  gynecology,  but  will  refer 
the  reader  who  may  be  interested  in  the  subject  to  the  chapter 

148 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  149 

dealing  with  "  Vaccines  "  in  which  is  a  general  discussion  of 
the  subject.  On  account  of  the  superior  advantages  Auto- 
therapy offers  to  our  present  therapy  in  gynecology,  it  has 
been  welcomed  by  the  profession  with  cordiality  and  open- 
mindedness ;  it  needs  no  defense  and  but  little  explanation  and 
has  been  tested  as  it  were  by  fire,  ist,  by  those  who  wel- 
come anything  that  will  do  good ;  2nd,  by  those  who  desire 
to  prove  the  futility  of  anything  that  is  not  time-honored  and 
classic.  It  has  stood  these  tests  and  received  high  medical 
endorsements,  for  the  principle  on  which  cures  made  by  its 
use  rests,  is  basic  and  in  accord  with  the  modern  conception  of 
biological  therapeutics.  Autotherapy  is  a  distinct  advance  in 
biological  therapeutics  and  is  especially  welcome  in  its  appli- 
cation to  gynecology.  The  technic  is  superlatively  simple — 
the  results  usually  dependable. 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  surgeon  and  pathologist  have  been 
consulted  as  to  the  proper  time  to  operate  in  acute  endometritis, 
salpingitis,  etc.  Various  operations  and  methods  of  combating 
shock  have  been  devised  but  the  main  question  we  have  en- 
deavored to  answer  is — How,  and  When  shall  we  operate? 

In  asking  this  question  we  take  it  for  granted  an  operation 
is  usually  necessary,  but,  with  the  advent  of  Autotherapy  the 
question  asked  is, — Why  operate?  In  asking  this  question, 
we  take  for  granted  that  an  operation  is  usually  unnecessary, 
unless  a  very  good  reason  be  given  for  doing  so.  Without 
doubt,  very  good  reasons  can  be  given  in  a  small  percentage  of 
cases,  but  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases,  there  is  no  medical 
reason  why  an  operation  should  be  performed  for  these  acute 
conditions,  and  many  good  reasons  why  it  should  not  be  per- 
formed. 

To  patients  suffering  from  a  catarrhal  endometritis,  ovaritis, 
salpingitis,  etc..  Autotherapy  is  a  blessing,  relieving  the  pain 
quicker  and  better  than  anything  modern  medicine  or  sur- 


ISO  AUTOTHERAPY 

gery  has  yet  offered.  It  is  a  revelation  in  therapeutics  to  those' 
unfamiUar  with  its  use,  to  see  how  the  induration  and  thicken- 
ing of  the  broad  Hgaments  subside  and  disappear  under  its 
judicious  use,  and  a  more  or  less  solid  pelvis  often  loosens 
under  but  two  or  three  treatments.  This  method  is  no  longer 
an  experiment — it  has  come  to  the  physician's  hand  to  stay. 

Autotherapy  stimulates  the  bacterial  elements  of  the  blood 
to  combat  infecting  microorganisms  only  -it  is  not  expected 
to  cure  when  surgical  intervention  is  demanded.  With  Auto- 
therapy there  is  not  so  great  urgency  for  surgical  inter- 
vention, for  by  its  use  the  patient  may  often  be  cured  in 
instances  where  surgical  intervention  was  formerly  demanded. 
In  lacerated  perineum  or  cervix,  in  anteversion  and  retro- 
flexion and  other  conditions  mechanical  interference  'is  often 
demanded ;  on  the  other  hand  these  conditions  are  at  times 
accompanied  by  infection.  When  this  is  so.  Autotherapy  will 
then  often  make  life  endurable  in  those  who  refuse  operation. 

Rarely  do  we  fail  to  obtain  the  exudate  (and  therefore  the 
natural  unmodified  autotherapeutic  remedy)  directly  from  the 
cervical  canal. 

In  chronic  infections  the  autotherapeutic  treatment  is  often 
equally  as  effective  as  in  the  acute. 

A  strong  nourishing  diet  is  given  while  the  patient  is  under- 
going the  reactions  and  especially  is  this  so  in  chronic  condi- 
tions where  the  treatment  will  at  times  have  to  be  continued  for 
some  weeks  or  months.  It  is  desirable  that  the  patient  exercise 
but  little  during  the  reactive  period  of  the  medication.  If  the 
chill  following  the  treatment  should  be  pronounced  the  patient 
should  be  placed  in  bed,  covered  up  well  and  given  a  hot 
drink. 

The  discharge  taken  from  a  patient  who  has  been  taking 
morphine  or  many  other  forms  of  hypnotics  or  anodynes  is 
often  worthless  for  autotherapeutic  purposes,  for  morphine  ap- 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  151 

pears  to  destroy  or  remove  the  antigenic  properties  of  the 
toxin ;  or  it  has  some  action  on  the  toxins  as  yet  not  explained, 
that  nullifies  their  curative  properties,  or  inhibits  the  reactive 
powers  of  the  patient  in  the  development  of  antibodies  on 
w^hich  the  improved  condition  of  the  body  depends. 

Reasoning  backwards  from  the  above  observations  the  writer 
was  led  to  give  morphine  to  patients  who  developed  a  severe 
reaction  following  the  hypodermic  injection  of  the  toxins. 
The  results  were  gratifying.  Calomel  in  Mo-grain  doses  and 
iodine  in  the  2nd  centesimal  dilution,  given  in  repeated  doses  to 
stimulate  glandular  activity  are  also  found  to  be  occasionally 
useful  when  an  unusually  severe  reaction  follows.  No  anti- 
septics should  contaminate  the  discharge  that  is  to  be  used  auto- 
therapeutically.  It  is  always  advisable  to  give  several  treat- 
ments after  all  symptoms  subside,  at  weekly  and  fortnightly 
intervals,  to  be  sure  the  opsonic  index  is  raised  considerably 
above  normal.  Both  local  and  constitutional  reactions  will 
usually  subside  within  twenty-four  to   forty-eight  hours. 

It  is  the  writer's  custom  to  treat  patients  suffering  with 
chronic  diseases  and  particularly  those  with  chronic  infections 
of  the  pelvis,  or  infection  of  gastrointestinal  origin  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner : 

A  hot  bath  daily  or  as  often  as  the  patient  can  stand  it — 
the  temperature  of  the  water  being  from  108°  F.  to  112°  F. 
The  usual  instruction  and  precautions  are  given  regarding 
staying  in  too  long — brisk  rubbing  following-,  cloth  wrung  out 
in  cold  water  may  be  placed  on  the  forehead,  etc.  Sea  salt 
or  epsom  salt  may  be  placed  in  the  water.  The  patient  is 
especially  warned  not  to  have  the  surface  of  the  body  chilled 
after  coming  out  of  the  water. 

The  patient  is  instructed  to  see  that  the  colon  is  thoroughly 
cleansed  at  least  once  daily,  with  warm  water  to  which  there  is 
often  added  with  benefit,  baking  soda,  a  teaspoonful  to  the 
quart.    For  the  purpose  of  insuring  a  high  enema,  the  writer 


152  AUTOTHERAPY 

recommends  the  metal  spiral  enema  tube — the  cost  is  nominal 
and  the  results  are  eminently  satisfactory. 

We  seldom  see  acute  gonorrhea  in  the  female  from  the 
fact  that  she  often  does  not  know  she  has  it  until  the  infection 
is  well  advanced ;  but  when  we  do  treat  it  early,  the  response 
is  usually  gratifying. 

Broadly  speaking,  the  treatment  is  quite  similar  to  that  of 
the  male,  but  from  the  fact  that  a  larger  area  of  mucous  mem- 
brane is  infected,  more  of  the  discharge  is  obtained  than  it  is 
necessary  to  employ  for  therapeutic  purposes. 

The  toxins  obtained  from  patients  suffering  with  chronic 
gonorrhea,  are  at  times  quite  toxic,  but  there  is  no  danger  in 
the  treatment,  or  at  least,  no  more  danger  than  there  is  in 
the  vaccines  or  tuberculine  now  in  daily  use  among  us. 

If  the  technic  outlined  is  closely  followed,  Autotherapy  offers 
much  to  women  suffering  with  deep  pelvic  inflammations,  fore- 
stalling many  operations. 

The  oral  treatment  is  seldom  manifested  by  severe  reac- 
tions. In  very  acute  conditions  treatment  is  often  given  at 
intervals  of  from  three  to  five  days.  It  should  be  given  more 
frequently  in  acute  than  in  chronic  conditions,  but  in  all  cases 
we  should  treat  the  patient  according  to  the  clinical  reactions 
and  not  the  disease. 

We  speak  now  of  chronic  infections — if  the  patient  is  slow 
to  react  to  the  toxins,  or  has  a  chill  or  slight  fever  following 
their  administration,  do  not  repeat  till  three  or  more  days  after 
the  chill  or  fever  subsides.  The  return  of  pain  and  the  ag- 
gravation of  other  symptoms  are  indications  that  the  dose 
should  be  repeated.  Where  there  is  no  apparent  constitu- 
tional stimulating  reaction  or  benefit  derived  from  the  admin- 
istration of  the  remedy  there  may  be  a  negative  phase  present 
and  another  dose  given  before  it  is  needed  may  result  in  your 
not  being  able  to  discover  whether  the  patient  has  received 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  153 

more  than  is  required,  or  not  sufficient  medication  to  develop 
the  reactions  desired.  Under  these  circumstances  wait  for 
several  days  before  repeating  the  dose.  The  third  decimal 
alcohol  dilution  or  trituration  of  the  filtrate  may  often  be  given 
per  OS  without  developing  a  prolonged  negative  phase. 

The  pelvic  pains  in  otherwise  healthy  individuals,  will  usu- 
ally cease  within  twenty-four  or  forty-eight  hours  after  the 
first  treatment  is  given.  After  the  patient  has  been  under 
treatment  for  a  time  and  the  inflammation  is  under  control, 
the  pain  should  return  in  ten  days ;  this  interval  of  time  should 
be  recorded,  and  subsequent  treatments  given  periodically 
at  intervals  of  eight  or  nine  days,  covering  a  period  of  sev- 
eral weeks  or  months.  The  patient,  however,  should  come  to 
the  office  for  observation  about  every  three  or  four  days.  In 
treating  the  female,  as  in  the  male,  the  filtrate  should  be  pre- 
pared before  any  treatment   is  given. 

Contrary  to  the  usual  method  of  developing  antitoxins  in 
the  animal  in  the  preparation  of  commercial  antitoxins,  the 
toxin  administered  for  therapeutic  purposes  should  usually  not 
be  given  in  increasing  doses  after  the  patient  has  developed 
an  appreciable  reaction.  The  first  injection  often  appears  to 
sensitize  the  patient,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  the  second  treat- 
ment is  often  more  effective  than  the  first.  But  there  are  no 
set  rules  that  will  govern  all  conditions;  each  patient  should 
be  treated  as  an  individual.  Merely  follow  the  simple  instruc- 
tions given  in  the  succeeding  paragraphs,  study  the  individual, 
and  you  will  have  little  trouble,  and  often  will  be  amazed  at 
the  cures  you  have  made;  your  patients  will  be  most  grateful. 

The  cases  have  been  selected  from  many  hundreds,  and 
are  given  simply  as  types,  not  only  of  the  technic  but  of  the 
results  that  may  confidently  be  expected. 

The  patient  treated  autotherapeutically  usually  knows  she  is 
better;  she  feels  better  and  is  glad  to  tell  you  of  it. 


154  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  Autotherapeutic  Technic  for  Gynecology 

Technic  No.  i.  The  mucus  is  drawn  into  a  glass  tube 
to  which  a  rubber  bulb  or  siphon  is  attached.  This  is  in- 
serted through  the  speculum  to  the  cervix;  from  one  to  five 
drops  of  mucus  is  usually  collected  in  the  tube.  The  mucus 
is  mixed  in  an  ounce  bottle,  with  two  ounces  of  alcohol  and 
thoroughly  shaken,  and  this  given  the  patient  per  os  in 
divided  doses.  Ten  drops  in  a  little  water  every  hour  for 
ten  doses. 

Technic  No.  2.  Patient  is  instructed  to  take  a  cleansing 
douche,  before  coming  to  the  office ;  then  a  tampon  of  about 
five  grains  of  cotton  is  placed  directly  against  the  cervix :  in 
twenty-four  hours  this  is  removed  and  placed  in  a  four-ounce 
bottle  with  two  ounces  of  distilled  water,  thoroughly  shaken, 
and  the  decanted  fluid  is  given  to  the  patient  to  drink. 

Technic  No.  3.  Place  five  drops  of  the  mucus  collected  by 
pipette  in  an  ounce  of  distilled  water;  the  mixture  is  then 
thoroughly  shaken  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours; 
after  which  time  it  is  passed  through  a  Duncan  Autothera- 
peutic Apparatus  and  five  to  twenty  drops  of  the  autoimmuniz- 
ing  bacteria-free  filtrate  are  injected  subcutaneously,  over  the 
biceps  muscle  or  elsewhere. 

Technic  No.  4.  Grind  the  mucus  collected  by  pipette  as 
in  Technic  No.  i,  in  a  mortar  with  about  one-half  ounce  of 
finely  powdered  glass;  then  it  is  mixed  in  a  bottle  with  an 
ounce  of  distilled  water,  thoroughly  shaken,  and  allowed  to 
stand  for  three  hours ;  after  which  time  it  is  passed  through 
a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  and  five  to  twenty  drops 
of  the  immunizing  bacteria-free  filtrate  are  injected  sub- 
cutaneously. 

Technic  No.  5.  Mix  the  mucus  collected  by  pipette  as  in 
Technic  No.  i,  in  a  mortar  with  one-half  ounce  of  sugar  of 
milk.    Grind  thoroughly  for  at  least  ten  minutes,  do  this  two 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  155 

mornings  in  succession  before  treatment  is  begun,  and  you 
will  have  about  one  ounce  of  triturated  toxin-complex ;  an 
amount  sufficient  to  carry  on  the  treatment — dose  twenty 
grains  by  the  mouth  hourly  for  from  four  to  ten  doses.  This 
may  be  repeated  every  other  day  for  a  week,  and  then 
every  third  day  for  another  week,  then  every  four  days  until 
the  physician  is  satisfied  the  patient  is  cured.  In  very  acute 
conditions  this  treatment  may  have  to  be  given  more  frequently, 
in  chronic  infections  very  much  less  frequently.  Treat  the 
patient  according  to  her  needs  and  not  the  disease.  Some  pa- 
tients do  not  require  another  dose  for  three  weeks. 

The  great  advantage  of  technics  No.  3,  No.  4,  and  No.  5,  is 
that  the  toxins  will  keep  for  all  subsequent  treatments. 

Technic  No.  6.  If  the  infection  has  not  extended  to  the 
cervix,  the  mucus  should  be  caught  on  pledgets  of  cotton,  by 
gently  wiping  the  external  parts.  This  may  be  placed  in 
two  ounces  of  alcohol  95  per  cent.,  to  be  given  as  in  Technic 
No.  I. 

The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 

Case  75.  Mrs.  R.,  age  26  years,  gave  birth  to  a  ten-pound 
child  four  years  ago.  There  was  some  laceration  of  the  cervix 
and  vaginal  outlet.  Since  the  birth  of  the  child  she  has  had 
more  or  less  constant  pain  in  the  left  tube  and  ovary.  When 
seen  by  the  writer,  October  i,  1913,  there  was  a  rather  constant 
discharge  of  bloody  mucus  from  the  os.  She  said  that  this 
had  been  present  for  three  years.  During  the  previous  week 
she  had  to  give  up  work  (bookbinding),  on  account  of  the 
pelvic  pain.  There  was  a  spherical  mass  two  inches  in  diameter 
at  the  junction  of  the  left  tube  and  uterus,  with  tenderness. 
There  were  several  opaque  blisters  on  the  cervix,  which  was 
hard  and  pouty.  Under  the  usual  treatment,  she  gradually 
improved,  but  the  swelling  did  not  recede  to  an  appreciable 
extent,  and  she  still  had  pain  in  the  back. 

This  treatment  was  continued  until  October  20th,  when  hav- 
ing decided  to  treat  her  autotherapeutically,  she  was  instructed 


156  AUTOTHERAPY 

to  take  a  douche  before  coming  to  the  office.  A  piece  of  cotton 
the  size  of  the  end  of  the  little  finger  was  spread  over  the 
mouth  of  the  cervix.  She  was  told  not  to  molest  it  and  to 
return  the  next  day.  The  following  day  this  was  removed  and 
placed  in  an  ounce  bottle  of  water.  It  was  then  agitated  and 
allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  the  solution  was  passed  through  a  Berkefeld  filter,  and  ten 
minims  of  the  bacteria-free  filtrate  injected  into  the  loose  cel- 
lular tissues  over  the  biceps  muscle.  The  next  day  the  greater 
part  of  the  upper  arm  had  the  appearance  of  an  extending 
cellulitis.  The  writer  had  previously  warned  her  she  might  be 
sick  the  night  following  the  injection  and  the  arm  would  be 
sore,  but  not  to  be  alarmed,  as  the  vaccination  was  taking 
eflFect.  She  had  a  headache  and  some  nausea.  Within  twenty- 
four  hours  the  constitutional  reaction  passed  away,  as  did  the 
pelvic  pain.  Her  appetite  then  improved  and  the  drawn  ex- 
pression of  the  face  relaxed.  She  knew  she  was  better,  and 
said,  "  If  I  will  only  stay  so."  She  has  had  no  more  pelvic 
pain.  At  the  end  of  a  week  she  was  given  another  injection  of 
ten  minims.  She  had  some  reaction,  and  some  pelvic  pain  im- 
mediately following  the  injection ;  these,  however,  were  but 
transient.  She  has  had  four  injections  one  week  apart,  and 
has  had  no  more  pain  since  the  first,  except  the  transient  pains 
immediately  following  each  injection.  She  has  had  no  other 
medication  since  this  treatment  was  begun.  She  was  back  at 
work  in  a  week,  and  gained  five  pounds  in  weight.  There  has 
been  no  appreciable  discharge  of  mucus  and  no  blood  since 
forty-eight  hours  after  the  first  injection. 

Case  76.  Patient  28,  had  leucorrhea  for  nineteen  months, 
beginning  one  month  before  her  child  was  born.  Since  then 
she  has  been  under  the  care  of  two  other  physicians  who 
treated  her  locally,  with  only  temporary  rehef.  When  first 
seen  the  discharge  from  the  cervix  was  thick,  copious  and 
slightly  yellow.  She  said  it  was  formerly  greenish  in  color  and 
streaked  with  blood.  It  excoriated  the  thighs,  compelling  her 
to  wear  a  napkin.  Her  physical  condition  was  bad  and  men- 
tally she  was  in  great  distress.  A  small  tampon  of  cotton  was 
placed  over  the  cervix  and  was  allowed  to  remain  twenty-four 
hours.  It  was  then  placed  in  four  ounces  of  water.  This 
was  thoroughly  shaken,  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours, 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  157 

filtered,  and  twenty  minims  of  the  filtrate  were  injected  hypo- 
dermatically.  In  twenty-four  hours  the  discharge  lessened. 
Two  more  injections  four  days  apart  completely  cleared  up 
the  case.  The  pain  disappeared,  the  discharge  stopped,  and 
the  excoriations  healed.  In  two  weeks  from  the  time  treatment 
was  begun,  the  patient  was  apparently  well. 

Case  i"].  Dr.  Eric  Von  der  Goltz,  of  New  York  City,  re- 
ports the  following  case  treated  by  Autotherapy:  Patient, 
multipara,  went  to  him  suffering  with  a  hemorrhage  from  the 
uterus.  He  discovered  that  she  had  pustubes  and  an  enlarged 
uterus.  There  was  a  mucopurulent  discharge  coming  from 
the  cervix  mixed  with  much  blood.  He  collected  some  of  the 
discharge  and  gave  a  weak,  watery  dilution  by  the  mouth.  The 
bleeding  stopped  twelve  hours  after  the  first  dose.  Under 
the  continued  use  of  this  medication,  the  infiltration  of  the 
broad  ligaments  subsided ;  the  tubes  apparently  became  nor- 
mal, and  the  uterus  much  reduced  in  size.  In  three  weeks 
after  the  treatment  was  begun  the  patient  was  apparently  well, 
and  has  remained  so  for  nine  months. 

Case  78.  Dr.  A.  L.  Ridge,  of  Ogden,  Utah,  reports  the 
following  case  cured  by  Autotherapy.  Girl,  18  years,  infected 
with  gonorrhea  one  month  before  seeking  medical  aid.  When 
first  seen  August  13,  1913,  one  Bartholin  gland  was  infected 
and  distended.  The  cervix  was  discharging  characteristically. 
The  microscopical  examination  confirmed  the  clinical  diagnosis 
of  gonorrhea.  About  half  a  drachm  of  the  discharge  that  was 
free  from  antiseptics  she  had  been  using  was  placed  in  six 
ounces  of  tap  water,  and  thoroughly  shaken  and  given  to  the 
patient  to  drink,  in  tablespoonful  doses.  August  29th,  no 
microorganisms  were  found  in  the  discharge  after  a  careful 
examination.  During  this  interval  a  small  amount  of  mucus 
was  given  her  in  the  same  way  from  time  to  time.  March  21, 
1914,  there  had  been  no  return  of  the  symptoms.  The  bladder 
tubes  and  ovaries  were  not  involved.  At  the  time  the  case 
came  to  me,  I  had  no  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus, 
hence  the  crude  method. 

Case  79-84.  Dr.  O.  F.  Curtis,  Vincennes,  Ind.,  reports  five 
cases  of  severe  leucorrhea  cured  by  Autotherapy,  by  making  a 
filtrate  from  a  dilution  of  the  discharge  and  injecting  it  hypo- 
dermatically  at  intervals  of  several  days. 


158  AUTOTHERAPY 

Case  85.  Dr.  O.  F.  Burrows,  of  Plainwell,  Mich.,  reports : 
Miss  E.  B.,  age  17  years,  came  to  me  in  November,  1912.  She 
had  been  told  that  she  had  gonorrhea  six  months  before. 
There  was  some  endocervicitis  and  profuse  vaginal  secretion, 
but  I  did  not  believe  it  specific.  I  gave  local  depleting  treat- 
ment for  some  time  without  effect.  Then  I  decided  to  treat 
her  according  to  the  Duncan  method.  Accordingly  I  placed 
some  of  the  excretion,  about  twenty  drops,  in  four  ounces  of 
water  and  let  it  stand  for  twenty-four  hours.  It  was  then 
filtered  according  to  his  method  and  injected,  twenty  minims 
under  the  skin.  In  twenty-four  hours  there  was  a  nice  reaction, 
both  local  and  constitutional.  The  local  reaction  consisted  of 
an  area  of  redness  around  the  point  of  the  needle;  the  con- 
stitutional one  was  manifested  by  a  slight  chill  lasting  for  a 
minute.     This  one  injection  effected  a  complete  cure. 

Case  86.  Patient,  widow  a  year,  age  23  years.  Indefinite 
pains  in  the  pelvis  for  over  two  years.  Three  months  before 
treatment  was  begun  the  pain  became  severe.  Two  weeks 
before,  the  pain  became  very  severe,  compelling  her  to  give  up 
work.  Examination  revealed  the  following  condition :  Dis- 
charge of  sanguineous  mucus  from  the  cervix.  Induration  of 
the  right  broad  ligament  and  some  induration  and  tenderness 
on  the  left  side.  During  menstruation  she  complained  of  knife- 
like pains  over  the  pubes.  The  uterus  was  large  and  the  cer- 
vix pouty.  There  was  some  laceration  of  the  cervix  from 
confinement  two  years  previous.  Five  drops  of  mucus  were 
collected  from  the  cervix.  This  was  mixed  with  an  ounce  of 
water  and  given  by  the  mouth.  There  was  a  constitutional  re- 
action manifested  by  a  chill.  Then  she  felt  feverish  with  dry 
lips.  This  continued  all  that  night  and  part  of  the  next  day. 
Treatment  was  given  on  February  26,  191 5;  on  the  27th,  she 
did  not  go  to  work,  but  on  the  28th,  she  felt  much  better,  re- 
turned to  work  and  has  been  working  ever  since.  She  has 
had  no  pain  since  March  12th,  when  menstruation  began. 
These  were  not  severe  and  but  transient.  She  had  oral  medi- 
cation on  March  3rd,  6th,  and  9th;  and  a  hypodermic  injection 
on  the  17th.  Since  then  she  has  had  no  pain  and  is  apparently 
well. 

Cask  87.  Patient  female,  age  2.2  years,  was  confined  May  i, 
1914.      During   November,    1914,   she   contracted   gonorrhea. 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  159 

When  seen  two  months  later  there  was  a  profuse  discharge 
of  pus,  which  was  thick  and  yellow.  The  inflammation  caused 
much  pain  when  sitting.  She  was  given  an  injection  of  the 
immunizing  bacteria-free  filtrate.  At  the  end  of  five  days  she 
was  given  another  injection.  She  did  not  complain  of  chill 
or  fever  after  this  but  concluded  she  was  well  and  did  not 
return  for  treatment.  Two  weeks  later  she  moved  her  house- 
hold effects  in  the  rain  and  stayed  in  damp  clothes  for  several 
hours.  She  then  came  down  with  a  severe  inflammation  of  the 
pelvis,  temperature  104°  F.  Peritonitis  was  present.  The 
writer  again  found  mucus  streaked  with  blood  coming  from 
the  cervix.  A  small  piece  of  cotton  was  inserted  and  the 
mucus  from  the  cervix  wiped  off  on  it.  This  was  placed  in 
an  ounce  bottle  of  water,  thoroughly  shaken  and  the  decanted 
fluid  given  her  to  drink.  In  twenty-four  hours  her  temperature 
was  99°  F.,  and  she  felt  better;  in  forty-eight  hours  her  tem- 
perature was  normal.  She  was  given  a  similar  dose  every  five 
days — six  doses.  She  is  now  apparently  well  and  complains  of 
no  pain  or  discomfort  of  any  kind  (1918). 

Case  88.  Patient  female,  age  24  years,  applied  for  treat- 
ment for  pains  in  the  pelvis.  The  history  showed  her  husband 
had  gonorrhea  six  months  previously.  She  had  had  some 
leucorrhea  during  this  period.  About  two  months  previous  to 
her  visit  to  the  office  she  noticed  the  first  pain ;  since  then 
they  have  been  growing  worse  until  the  past  week  when  they 
became  unbearable.  Examination  revealed  a  thickening  of  the 
broad  ligament  on  the  right  side,  with  tenderness  over  both 
tubal  regions.'  During  her  last  period  she  suffered  more  than 
she  had  ever  done  before.  Five  drops  of  mucus  from  the 
cervix  were  placed  in  an  ounce  of  water  and  thoroughly 
shaken.  The  fluid  was  then  given  her.  The  pain  stopped 
immediately  and  did  not  return  for  two  weeks.  When  it 
returned  she  came  to  the  office  and  the  same  treatment  was 
given  her  as  before.  The  pains  again  stopped  within  twenty- 
four  hours  and  did  not  return  for  three  weeks,  when  she 
came  for  another  treatment  and  was  encouraged  to  come  regu- 
larly. Four  similar  treatments  five  days  apart,  completely 
cured  the  case.  She  is  now  free  from  pain  and  menstruates  as 
she  previously  did. 

Case  89.    Dr.  Horace  P.  Gillingham  reports  the  following 


i6o  AUTOTHERAPY 

case :  Patient,  female,  age  27  years,  presented  herself  for 
treatment  October  10,  1913.  A  physical  examination  revealed: 
meatus  red,  swollen  and  painful ;  the  urethra  sensitive  to  the 
touch  of  examining  finger,  through  the  vagina.  Under  the 
usual  treatment  for  such  conditions,  she  improved  and  passed 
out  of  my  hands  October  30,  191 3.  When  seen  again,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1913,  I  found  there  had  been  a  relapse,  for  the  right 
tube  was  considerably  swollen  and  painful.  July,  1914:  Dur- 
ing the  interval  since  her  last  visit,  she  had  been  operated  upon 
and  the  appendix  removed.  The  other  organs  did  not  appear 
to  the  surgeon  to  warrant  excision.  October  9,  1914,  she 
again  came  under  my  medical  supervision.  Diagnosis: 
Microscopical  examination  revealed  gonorrhea,  confirming  my 
former  findings.  She  was  placed  under  the  usual  treatment 
for  such  conditions  till  October  30th,  with  but  a  slight  improve- 
ment. On  this  date  after  a  cleansing  douche,  I  placed  three 
grains  of  cotton  over  the  cervical  opening  and  allowed  it  to 
remain  twenty-four  hours,  after  which  time  it  was  removed 
and  placed  in  an  ounce  of  distilled  water,  and  I  aHowed  it  to 
remain  for  twenty-four  hours,  with  occasional  agitation.  It 
was  then  filtered  through  a  Berkefeld  filter  and  ten  minims 
of  the  unmodified  toxin-complex  injected  subcutaneously  over 
the  biceps  muscle.  Within  twenty-four  hours  she  had  a  slight 
rigor  and  a  cutaneous  area  of  redness  about  three  inches  in 
diameter.  Both  local  and  constitutional  reactions  disappeared 
forty-eight  hours  after  the  injection.  She  had  five  injections 
from  five  to  seven  days  apart.  After  the  second  and  third 
the  same  reaction  occurred  as  after  the  first.  After  the  fourth 
and  fifth  a  local  reaction  only  was  apparent. 

She  had  no  medication  for  this  condition  after  October  30th.^ 
The  pain  left  after  the  first  injection,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  transient  pains  immediately  following  injection,  she  has  had 
none  since.  She  was  apparently  well  after  the  third  injection 
but  the  others  were  given  according  to  Dr.  Duncan's  technic, 
to  ensure  no  return.  May  31,  1915 :  there  had  been  no  return 
and  the  patient  has  no  more  symptoms  either  objective  or 
subjective.  Dr.  Gillingham  further  states:  "I  have  treated 
many  cases  of  gonorrhea  in  the  female,  that  yielded  to  Auto- 
therapy as  quickly  as  this ;  some  yielded  much  more  quickly. 
The  striking  feature  of  this  case  is,  that  it  would  not  yield  to 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  i6i 

other  methods,  and  yet  it  yielded  absolutely  satisfactorily  to 
Dr.  Duncan's  unmodified  toxins." 

A  review  of  these  cases  shows  that  a  diagnosis  is  often 
unnecessary  as  far  as  a  cure  is  concerned. 

Case  90.  Dr.  R.  W.  Rose,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  reports  the 
following  case:  Patient,  female,  age  21,  has  been  suffering 
from  leucorrhea  for  several  months.  March  13,  191 7,  was 
attacked  with  what  seemed  an  acute  endometritis,  severe  ab- 
dominal pains  and  swelling  of  the  uterus.  Upon  entering 
the  cervix  with  a  cotton  wrapped  applicator  a  very  profuse 
discharge  of  pus  was  vented.  Collecting  some  of  this  discharge 
I  prepared  a  toxin  and  proceeded  to  administer  hypodermic 
injections — the  treatment  started  with  ten  minims  and  on  the 
next  day,  August  i8th,  she  received  20  minims,  and  25  minims 
August  29th.  On  April  loth,  she  reported  that  she  was  as 
well  as  ever. 

Professor  Horace  P.  Gillingham  of  the  New  York  Medi- 
cal College  and  Hospital  for  Women,  reports  that  he  has 
cured  and  saved  from  operation  several  obstinate  infections 
of  gonorrhea  in  the  female  with  Autotherapy,  when  every 
other  means  at  his  command  had  utterly  failed.  An  interesting 
series  of  cases  which  he  treated  at  the  Metropolitan  Hospital 
present  unusual  features  that  are  far  reaching  in  their  effects. 
He  had  under  his  medical  care  nine  little  girls  infected  with 
acute  gonorrhea,  ranging  in  age  from  ten  to  twelve  years.  He 
asked  the  writer  over  the  'phone  if  there  was  anything  that 
Autotherapy  offered  for  these  little  patients?  He  was  in- 
structed to  proceed  as  follows :  Have  the  nurse  give  each  little 
girl  a  vaginal  douche,  with  a  small  rubber  tip  syringe,  of  about 
an  ounce  of  water,  and  place  this  in  the  milk  and  give  it  re- 
spectively to  the  little  patients  from  whom  it  was  obtained. 
This  treatment  was  carried  out  daily  for  one  week.  They  each 
reacted  to  the  medication,  and  developed  a  temperature  from 
99°  F.  to  100°  F.  In  one  week's  time  the  discharge  in  eight 
cases  had  stopped  entirely. 

Professor  D.  E.  Coleman,  of  New  York  City,  reports  that 
he  received  a  letter  from  a  Medical  Missionary  from  the  Philip- 


i62  AUTOTHERAPY 

pine  Islands  stating :  "  I  am  saving  the  women  from  operations 
following  gonorrhea  by  means  of  Autotherapy." 

Dr.  Addisone  S.  Boyce,  Professor  of  Gynecology  in  the 
New  York  Medical  College  and  Hospital  for  Women,  read  a 
paper  before  the  Queens  County  Medical  Society  on  the  sub- 
ject of  "  Autotherapy  in  Gynecology."  She  stated  that  she 
would  hesitate  before  making  a  complete  report  of  the  remark- 
able cures  she  has  made  by  means  of  Autotherapy  for  fear 
she  would  be  charged  with  prevarication.  She  states  that  she 
has  seen  many  cases  where  the  pelvis  was  solid  with  indura- 
tions and  inflammation,  thickening  of  the  broad  ligaments  and 
adnexa,  completely  loosen  in  two  weeks  with  no  apparent 
tenderness,  under  autotherapeutic  treatment. 

Time  and  space  forbid  giving  case  after  case  similar  to 
these,  from  the  records  of  the  clinic  and  those  of  private  prac- 
tice. These  cases  have  been  selected  simply  to  illustrate  not 
only  the  autotherapeutic  technic  of  gonorrhea,  but  also  the 
results  that  may  confidently  be  expected  to  follow  its  use. 

Obstetrics 

The  most  frequent  cause  of  death  following  delivery  and 
abortion  is  infection.  In  the  chapter  under  the  title,  "  Auto- 
therapy in  the  Treatment  of  Purulent  Infections,"  it  is  stated : 
"  Aseptic  and  antiseptic  surgery  may  practically  be  thrown  to 
the  winds  and  rarely  or  never  does  severe  infection  follow 
accidental  wounds  when  Autotherapy  is  properly  employed." 

Autotherapy  presupposes  infection  in  wounds  and  utilizes 
the  unmodified  product  of  infection  to  build  up  antibodies 
or  immunize  the  patient,  or  fortify  the  tissues  against  a 
further  invasion  of  the  microorganisms  in  the  locus  of  infec- 
tion. 

The  parts  of  a  recently  delivered  female  are  practically  an 
open  wound  and  should  be  treated  as  such. 

We  will  repeat  here  briefly  for  the  sake  of  clearness  the 
technic  advocated  in  the  treatment  of  wounds  that  is  given  in 
the  former  chapter: 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  163 

"If  the  exudate  or  a  dilution  of  the  exudate  from  any  fresh 
wound  is  fihered  through  a  Berkefeld  filter  and  the  filtrate 
injected  hypodermatically  at  proper  intervals,  purulent  infec- 
tion will  be  aborted."  A  corollary  to  this  general  rule  that 
is  often  more  convenient  in  the  application  of  this  principle 
may  be  stated  as  follows: 

"  If  the  discharge  from  an  extra-alimentary  or  extra-pul- 
monary fresh  wound  is  placed  in  the  mouth  at  proper  intervals 
purulent  infection  will  be  aborted." 

Obviously  the  parts  of  a  recently  delivered  female  are  extra- 
alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary  and  for  this  reason  puerperal 
infection  may  be  treated  by  the  above  general  autoseptic  sur- 
gical rule,  or  its  corollary. 

It  is  only  when  strict  aseptic  technic  is  employed  during 
labor  that  any  woman  escapes  puerperal  infection. 

Aside  from  the  flood  of  light  modern  biological  investiga- 
tions throw  on  this  subject,  the  beneficial  effect  of  this  treat- 
ment is  obvious  when  we  consider  that  the  lower  animals  are 
able  to  cure  themselves  or  forestall  severe  puerperal  infection 
by  simply  licking  the  lochia. 

In  general  surgery,  autoseptic  technic  has  been  found  suc- 
cessful as  an  additional  element  of  safety,  when  other  methods 
of  wound  treatment  have  been  employed.  In  accidental 
wounds  which  always  contain  some  pathogenic  microorgan- 
isms, autosepsis  alone  if  properly  carried  out  will  invariably 
lead  to  the  wound  healing  by  first  intention.  Since  this  is  so 
in  accidental  wounds,  then  there  is  no  earthly  reason  why  it 
should  not  also  be  employed  in  surgical  wounds  as  well,  as  it 
will  correct  faulty  surgical  aseptic  technic  if  properly  em- 
ployed; for  this  reason  the  writer  urges  that  the  autoseptic 
technic  be  employed  in  all  obstetric  cases. 

In  the  absence  of  retained  secundines,  autosepsis  properly 
employed  will  reduce  the  loss  of  life  from  puerperal  infection 


i64  AUTOTHERAPY 

to  a  minimum;  hence  it  is  not  only  practicable,  but  advisable 
to  employ  Autotherapy  as  an  additional  element  of  safety  in 
all  labor  cases  and  in  abortions. 

Autosepsis  in  obstetrics  has  come  to  the  physician's  hand 
to  stay  and  the  physician  who  does  not  employ  it  as  an  ad- 
juvant both  in  the  prevention  and  cure  of  puerperal  infection 
is  not  using  the  most  powerful  weapon  we  have  at  our  com- 
mand in  fighting  infection,  both  in  labor  cases  and  those  of 
abortions.  Given  a  reasonably  healthy  mother  and  autoseptic 
technic  at  the  time  of  delivery,  in  the  absence  of  other  compli- 
cations, there  is  no  need  of  death  from  puerperal  infections. 

The  rationale  of  this  treatment  appeals  to  the  medical  mind 
when  it  is  remembered  that  autoseptic  treatment  not  only  in- 
creases the  power  of  the  patient  to  resist  infections  that  at 
times  occur  at  the  time  of  delivery,  but  protects  her  from 
the  encroachment  of  invading  microorganisms  that  might  gain 
entrance  in  the  parts  through  subsequent  careless  handling. 
An  additional  advantage  of  autosepsis  in  all  labor  cases  is 
that  if  ophthalmia  neonatorum  occurs  the  autoseptic  treat- 
ment of  the  mother  will  tend  to  cure  by  autogalactotherapy 
the  child.  The  mother  in  developing  antitoxins  to  the  toxins 
of  her  own  infecting  microorganisms  tends  to  cure  herself  by 
active  immunity ;  now  these  antitoxins  are  the  antitoxins  of  the 
toxins  active  in  the  child,  and  the  former  passing  to  the  child 
through  the  mother's  milk  tend  to  cure  the  child  quickly  by 
passive  immunity.  The  writer  believes  Autotherapy  should 
be  employed  in  all  cases  of  labor,  not  only  as  a  prophylaxis 
to  ophthalmia  neonatorum,  but  as  a  protection  to  the  mother. 
(See  chapter  on  Autogalactotherapy.) 

*  Dr.  F.  W.  Sumner,  British  Surgeon  of  Saharanpore,  India, 
reports  the  following  case,  in  the  Indian  Medical  Gazette,  No- 

*For  the  injection  or  ingestion  of  bacteria-free  and  unmodified 
toxins  I  owe  my  thanks  to  a  paper  by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan,  of  New 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  165 

vember  14,  1914,  in  an  article  under  the  title  of  "  Prevention  of 
Septic  Wounds  of  Warfare  "  : 

Case  91.  At  9  p.m.  one  evening  a  woman  was  brought  into 
the  Dufferin  Hospital,  Saharanpore,  in  labor.  Labor  pains  had 
commenced  in  an  adjoining  village,  four  days  before.  The 
hand  and  forearm  of  the  child  were  hanging  out  of  the  vulva ; 
the  village  midwife  had  been  pulling  at  it  hard  for  some  time 
(probably  at  least  twenty-four  hours,  as  is  the  custom  with 
those  grossly  ignorant  and  superstitious  people),  and  given  it 
up  as  a  bad  job.  As  a  rule  such  cases  are  always  moribund 
when  they  are  brought  in,  I  took  several  swabs  in  holders 
and  mopped  out  one  c.c.  of  the  discharge  from  the  vagina, 
placed  them  in  the  flask  with  an  ounce  of  saline  solution,  left  it 
for  twelve  hours,  occasionally  shaking  well,  filtered  it,  and  at 
9  A.M.  (the  day  after  admission)  injected  four  c.c.  of  the  fil- 
trate. To  go  back,  I  had  to  remove  the  child  by  decapitating, 
the  shoulder  being  firmly  wedged  in  the  brim  and  the  uterus  in 
a  state  of  spasm.  At  the  time  of  the  injection  the  woman 
looked  ill,  tired,  face  drawn,  and  with  rapid  pulse.  That  eve- 
ning her  temperature  went  up  to  104°  F,  Next  day  her  condi- 
tion was  much  better.  A  free  grumous  discharge  was  coming 
from  the  vagina.  She  rapidly  recovered  but  got  a  large  vesico- 
vaginal slough  and  fistula,  which  was  to  be  expected.  Later 
this  was  repaired  but  the  patient  left  the  hospital  against  orders. 

Dr.  Glass  Davitt,  Medical  Missionary,  stationed  at  the 
British  Corlies  Memorial  Hospital,  Baptist  Mission,  Yachow, 
West  China,  reports  the  following  case  in  a  letter  to  the 
writer : 

Case  92.  A  woman,  primipara,  had  been  in  labor  for  two 
weeks ;  three  dirty  midwives  had  used  all  their  means  to  pro- 
duce something  and  they  finally  called  me.  Woman  uncon- 
scious ;  pulse  180.  At  first  I  refused  to  touch  the  case  but  they 
argued  that  they  knew  the  woman  would  die,  and  if  I  could 

York  City,  in  the  (London)  Practitioner,  April,  1914,  under  the  title  of 
"  Autotherapy." 


i66  AUTOTHERAPY 

use  any  plan  to  get  the  baby,  hoping  it  was  a  boy  (the  father 
of  the  family  had  no  boys  and  they  must  have  one),  they  would 
be  glad  to  let  me  do  what  I  pleased.  After  bumping  their  heads 
on  the  floor  several  times,  and  crying  for  me  to  do  something, 
I  applied  the  forceps,  even  though  I  knew  she  would  come 
out  with  nothing  but  a  complete  tear — enough  for  the  details  of 
this  end  of  it.  After  delivery  I  gave  her  the  usual  treatment 
for  such  conditions,  and  left  that  night,  hoping  against  hope 
that  she  would  be  alive  the  next  day.  They  called  me  so  sel- 
dom to  treat  their  women  that  one  does  not  like  to  have  a  case 
go  bad,  even  one  like  this  one.  Of  course  she  was  infected 
after  all  the  punching  and  pounding  of  the  midwives,  and  the 
manipulation  of  the  instruments  taken  from  my  bag  without 
sterilization.  Well  the  next  day  I  found  her  alive  and  con- 
scious, temperature  104°  F.,  pulse  140;  I  removed  the  pad 
which  had  an  odor  of  exceedingly  rotten  pus,  and  which  was 
soaked  with  a  blackish  brownish  material.  I  took  this  home 
and  soaked  it  in  two  quarts  of  river  water  for  an  hour  and 
decanted  sixteen  ounces,  which  I  sent  to  the  patient  to  be  taken 
three  tablespoons  every  hour  till  it  was  gone.  I  repeated  the 
above  procedure  every  day  until  the  tenth  day,  when  I  stopped 
entirely,  and  the  only  other  treatment  this  patient  had  was 
diuretics.  On  the  19th  day  the  pad  was  soaked  with  a  straw- 
color  material  which  showed  but  few  pus  cells  and  which  had 
the  odor  of  normal  menstrual  flow,  and  in  twenty-one  days 
she  was  up  and  around  preparing  the  meals  and  refused  to  let 
me  examine  her  further. 

The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 

Case  93.  Patient,  age  28  years,  was  sent  into  the  hospital  by 
a  midwife.  There  had  been  a  breech  delivery,  as  the  body 
of  the  child  was  born,  but  the  arms  were  locked  at  the  side 
of  the  head.  How  long  she  had  been  in  this  condition  was 
not  known ;  the  internes  had  tried  to  deliver  the  child  for  half 
an  hour,  without  success.  They  then  'phoned  the  writer  who 
arrived  half  an  hour  later,  and  the  child  was  delivered  quickly. 
Assuming  this  case  was  infected,  he  immediately  began  the 
autoseptic  treatment  for  the  prevention  of  severe  infection. 
Accordingly,  at  the  next  dressing,  six  hours  later,  a  square  inch 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  167 

of  the  vulva  pad  most  stained  was  cut  out  and  placed  in  a 
four-ounce  bottle  of  water.  This  was  well  shaken  and  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  decanted  mixture  given  every  four  hours  for 
four  doses.  The  treatment  was  repeated  every  day  for  five 
days,  always  making  a  fresh  supply  for  the  day's  medication. 
The  patient  recovered  without  apparent  infection. 

Case  94.  Mrs.  F.  A.  C,  age  31,  was  delivered  of  a  nine- 
pound  child,  June  22,  1912.  The  delivery  was  normal  and 
everything  progressed  favorably  till  the  eighth  day,  when  the 
temperature  suddenly  shot  up  to  103°  P.,  pulse  120,  the  dis- 
charge was  foul  smelling,  face  red,  abdomen  tender.  About  a 
square  inch  of  the  vulva  pad  was  placed  in  four  ounces  of  tap 
water.  It  was  well  shaken  and  a  teaspoonful  of  the  decanted 
fluid  given  every  hour  for  three  doses.  The  next  day  the  tem- 
perature was  99°  F.,  and  on  the  following  day  it  was  normal. 

Case  95.  Patient  female,  age  28  years,  primipara,  was  in 
labor  for  eighteen  hours.  She  had  been  assisted  by  a  woman 
who  had  an  open  boil  on  her  right  hand.  The  child  was  de- 
livered with  the  aid  of  forceps,  with  some  laceration.  The 
writer  assumed  that  the  case  was  infected,  and  began  auto- 
therapeutic  treatment.  Accordingly  the  nurse  was  instructed 
to  save  the  vulva  pad  every  morning  so  that  it  could  be  ex- 
amined. A  square  inch  of  the  most  stained  part  of  the  pad 
was  cut  out,  and  placed  in  a  four-ounce  bottle  of  water.  This 
was  well  shaken  and  allowed  to  stand  for  an  hour.  The  fluid 
was  then  poured  off  and  mixed  with  sufficient  cocoa  to  dis- 
guise the  bloody  color.  Of  this  she  was  given  a  tablespoonful 
every  four  hours.  This  treatment  was  carried  out  every  day 
for  six  days.     She  had  no  apparent  infection. 

Case  96.  Patient,  ignorant  Russian  Jewess,  age  28  years, 
had  a  retained  placenta  after  the  delivery  of  her  second  child, 
which  was  manually  removed  in  small  pieces.  The  writer  ex- 
plained to  the  ignorant  attendant  carefully,  how  to  put  the 
vulva  pad  in  place.  At  his  next  visit  he  was  horrified  to  find 
the  attendant  rolling  the  gauze  around  unsterile  cotton  in  the 
form  of  a  cornucopia  and  inserting  this  in  the  vagina  to  keep 
the  blood  from  soiling  the  bedding.  Autotherapy  as  a  prophyl- 
axis to  severe  infection  was  begun  immediately.  Accordingly, 
the  writer  visited  the  patient  twice  daily  thereafter,  taking  the 
vulva  pad  with  him  at  each  visit.    The  stained  part  of  each  pad 


i68  AUTOTHERAPY 

was  cut  out  and  placed  in  a  pint  bottle  with  two  ounces  of 
water.  This  was  thoroughly  shaken  and  allowed  to  stand  for 
twelve  hours.  The  fluid  was  then  expressed  from  the  gauze 
and  passed  through  a  filter.  Twenty  minims  of  the  transparent 
bacteria-free  filtrate  were  injected  hypodermatically,  and  the 
remainder  was  given  her  to  drink,  in  three  divided  doses,  three 
hours  apart.  There  was  a  good  cutaneous  and  moderate  con- 
stitutional reaction  following  the  injection.  She  was  given  the 
filtrate,  however,  every  day  by  the  mouth,  prepared  in  the  man- 
ner described  above,  twice  daily.  There  were  no  complications. 
The  patient  was  out  of  bed  on  the  tenth  day. 

Professor  Wm.  H.  Freeman  reports  the  following  case : 

Case  97.  The  patient  had  an  excoriating  leucorrhea  dur- 
ing gestation,  for  which  she  would  not  be  examined  or  treated. 
Following  labor,  puerperal  infection  developed.  Placed  one 
c.c.  of  the  lochia  in  four  ounces  of  water,  and  gave  a  teaspoon- 
ful  every  hour  for  four  doses.  In  twenty-four  hours  her  tem- 
perature was  normal,  and  she  had  an  uneventful  recovery. 

Amniotic  fluid  as  a  therapeutic  agent.  Amniotic  fluid  has 
a  distinct  and  decided  action  on  the  uterus.  It  hastens  natural 
contractions  and  expulsion,  and  the  recuperation  of  the  patient ; 
and  stimulates  the  mammary  glands  to  an  increased  produc- 
tion of  milk  in  the  recently  delivered.  For  this  reason  it 
should  be  used  in  all  cases  of  difficult  labor  where  it  is  pos- 
sible to  obtain  it.  Especially  should  it  be  kept  in  mind  in  the 
multipara  where  the  history  shows  that  in  former  labors  the 
recovery  was  not  rapid  and  the  quantity  and  quality  of  milk 
were  not  all  that  could  be  desired. 

If  the  amniotic  sack  has  ruptured  before  the  patient  is  seen, 
sterile  gauze  placed  within  the  cervix  will  often  absorb  suffi- 
cient amount  to  be  employed  satisfactorily  therapeutically. 

The  writer  has  invariably  employed  the  oral  method  of 
administration,  using  about  20  drops,  in  divided  doses  a  few 
minutes  apart.    There  are  apparently  reasons  to  believe  that 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  169 

the  injection  of  a  few  drops  of  the  filtrate  would  be  equally 
efficacious.  The  only  apparent  objection  to  giving  the  filtrate 
is  the  inconvenience  it  might  afford  at  this  critical  time :  how- 
ever, with  trained  assistance  there  is  no  obstacle  on  this  score 
but  that  can  be  overcome. 

Case  98.  Patient,  multipara,  age  23  years,  had  been  in  labor 
for  eighteen  hours;  there  was  little  dilatation  and  the  labor 
pains  that  were  formerly  a  few  minutes  apart  had  subsided 
until  they  were  not  more  than  fifteen  and  twenty  minutes 
apart.  They  were  not  severe  and  the  patient  was  gradually 
approaching  that  condition  where  we  usually  resort  to  the 
forceps.  By  means  of  a  speculum  and  suitable  instruments  the 
membranes  were  ruptured  and  the  fluid  caught  on  absorbent 
cotton;  from  one  of  these  about  20  drops  were  expressed  in 
about  4  ounces  of  water;  of  this  the  patient  was  given  a  tea- 
spoonful  every  ten  minutes  and  the  pains  started  again,  after 
the  second  dose.  The  child  was  born  at  the  time  of  the  eighth 
dose. 

Case  99.  Patient,  female,  age  42  years,  was  passing  through 
an  abortion,  at  about  the  end  of  the  third  month.  She  sent 
for  the  writer  thinking  she  was  dying.  There  was  consider- 
able bleeding  and  some  mucus.  A  piece  of  sterile  gauze  was 
placed  in  the  vagina  where  it  was  allowed  to  stand  for  an  hour ; 
this  gauze  was  placed  in  a  glass  of  water  and  thoroughly 
stirred.  Of  this  she  was  given  a  teaspoonful  every  ten  min- 
utes. A  digital  examination  made  at  the  time  the  gauze  was 
placed  in  position  showed  a  hard  rigid  os,  with  slight  dilatation. 
At  the  time  the  tenth  teaspoonful  of  fluid  was  given  the  fetus 
arrived.  There  was  so  much  mucus  present  that  the  writer  be- 
lieved the  case  was  infected.  Twenty-four  hours  after  the 
fetus  was  born  a  piece  of  sterile  gauze  was  placed  in  the  vagina 
and  allowed  to  remain  about  one-half  hour.  This  was  removed 
and  placed  in  two  ounces  of  water  to  which  was  added  two 
ounces  of  95  per  cent,  alcohol.  The  first  day  the  patient  was 
given  twenty  drops  of  this  every  two  hours.  After  this  she 
was  given  twenty  drops  three  times  a  day  and  told  to  continue 
it  for  a  month.  The  writer  kept  in  communication  with  the 
family  over  the  telephone.     She  made  an  uneventful  recovery. 


I/O  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  writer  does  not  know  the  cause  of  this  abortion. 

The  writer  has  employed  this  treatment  in  many  cases  dur- 
ing the  past  five  years  and  has  seen  no  bad  results  while  in 
every  case  where  it  was  used  it  hastened  normal  contraction 
both  before  and  after  delivery. 

Menstruation  is  considered  by  many  as  a  toxemia  or  the 
periodic  throwing  out  of  the  body  of  toxic  substances.  It  is 
often  extremely  difficult  to  differentiate  between  a  pathogenic 
exudate  and  the  normal  menstrual  discharge. 

The  writer  believes  he  is  venturing  nothing  in  stating  that 
the  toxic  substances  thrown  off  at  the  menstrual  period  either 
in  the  discharge  from  the  uterus  or  from  the  skin  eruptions  that 
often  occur  at  this  time,  will  in  the  future  be  utilized  in  the 
treatment  of  many  conditions  that  are  associated  or  con- 
comitant with  menstruation,  as  pain,  headaches,  malaise,  etc., 
etc.  For  certain  it  is  he  has  treated  many  symptoms  suc- 
cessfully in  patients  suffering  with  hemorrhagic  discharges  by 
hypodermatically  injecting  a  filtrate  of  a  dilution  from  the 
discharge.  Blood  or  blister-serum  from  the  patient  injected 
subcutaneously,  at  proper  intervals,  in  certain  instances,  also 
has  proved  beneficial.  These  latter  have  proved  to  be  decidedly 
beneficial  in  relieving  many  troublesome  symptoms  arising  dur- 
ing gestation.     Do  not  forget  it. 

*  A  New  and  Powerful  Galactogogue 

In  treating  a  case  of  mastitis  by  means  of  Autotherapy, 
that  is,  by  injecting  subcutaneously  the  filtrate  of  the  discharge 
from  the  nipple,  it  was  noticed,  in  addition  to  curing  the 
mastitis  quickly,  that  the  quantity  of  milk  rapidly  increased 

*  Abstracted  from  an  article  appearing  in  the  New  York  Medical 
Journal,  January  6,  1917 — by  the  writer,  under  the  title  of,  "A  New 
and  Powerful  Galactagogue." 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  171 

until  it  became  more  than  the  patient,  a  multipara,  had  ever 
previously  produced.  The  question  arose — Was  it  the  milk  in 
the  exudate  that  caused  the  stimulation  of  the  mammary 
glands  ?  Several  tests  convinced  the  writer  that  it  was,  and  he 
appended  a  footnote  to  several  articles  on  the  subject  of  Auto- 
therapy, mentioning  this  fact;  this  was  some  years  ago.  At 
the  present  time  the  writer  is  pleased  to  report  that  these  tests 
have  been  confirmed  in  several  independent  quarters,  both  in 
this  country  and  in  France.  It  is  the  desire  still  further  to  dis- 
seminate the  knowledge  of  this  simple  treatment  that  suggested 
the  present  chapter.  This  treatment  is  particularly  applicable 
in  cases  where  the  delivery  has  been  recent  and  in  which  the 
supply  of  milk  becomes  quickly  diminished. 

The  technic  consists  in  injecting  i  c.c.  of  the  mother's  own 
milk  into  her  subcutaneous  tissues,  under  strict  aseptic  technic. 
In  two  days  repeat  again.  Under  ordinary  conditions  the  re- 
suTts  are  sure. 

Dr.  A.  J.  Nossman,  of  Pasoga  Springs,  Colorado,  reports 
the  following  cases : 

Case  100.  A  typical  case.  Primipara,  aged  35  years,  in 
very  bad  condition.  Milk  failed  on  the  third  day,  so  I  had  dif- 
ficulty in  obtaining  the  twenty  drops  to  inject.  There  was  a 
slight  chill  in  twelve  hours.  The  milk  came  in  thirty  hours. 
She  is  now  at  nine  months  still  nursing  her  baby. 

Case  ioi.  Milk  failed  in  about  two  weeks.  The  injection 
brought  on  a  temporary  increase.  This  patient  did  not  want  to 
nurse  her  baby. 

Case  102.    Milk  failed  in  three  months.    Injection  negative. 

The  criticism  offered  to  Dr.  Nossman's  technic  is  that  he 
did  not  repeat  the  injections  in  the  two  latter  cases.  Had  he 
done  this,  it  is  probable  that  the  second  patient  would  have 
been  able  to  nurse  her  child,  and  a  bare  possibility  that  the 


172  AUTOTHERAPY 

third  one  would ;  for  as  stated  above,  the  treatment  is  indicated 
particularly  in  the  recently  delivered. 

Dr.  Harvey  D.  Morris,  of  Port  Arthur,  Texas,  says :  "  The 
injection  of  mother's  milk  into  herself  will  stimulate  the  mam- 
mary glands  when  all  other  known  methods  fail."  He  reported 
several  cases  treated  successfully. 

Dr.  Alexander  L.  Blackwood,  of  Chicago,  author  of  sev- 
eral widely  used  medical  text-books,  and  Dr.  Clement  A.  Shute, 
of  Pottstown,  Pa.,  and  other  physicians  and  veterinarians  in 
the  United  States  vouch  for  this  treatment. 

R.  Becerro,  in  the  Revue  de  Therapeiitique  Medicochirugi- 
cale,  reports  favorable  results  in  two  out  of  three  cases  of 
sudden  cessation  of  milk,  "  a  condition  before  which  the  prac- 
titioner is  frequently  helpless.  Dietetic  measures,  and  the 
administration  of  thyroid  and  placenta  extract,  as  advised  by 
Hertoghe  and  Bouchacourt,  are  available  where  there  is  merely 
a  slow  diminution  in  the  milk  secretion,  but  of  no  value  where 
there  is  a  sudden  decrease  or  complete  cessation  of  the  mam- 
mary function."  Becerro  recommends  lo  c.c.  of  the  milk  in- 
jected subcutaneously.  He  states,  "  A  single  such  injection  in 
the  majority  of  cases  is  followed  in  thirty  hours  by  an  abun- 
dant secretion  of  milk."  The  writer  prefers  the  smaller  dose 
repeated  in  two  days  and  again  if  necessary  repeated  in  eight 
or  ten  days. 

It  appears  that  here  is  a  fertile  and  unexplored  field  for 
experimental  work  of  the  most  valuable  kind.  Since  milk  is 
found  to  be  a  stimulus  to  the  mammary  glands  or  removes  the 
inhibitory  factor  when  employed  in  the  manner  suggested  by 
the  writer,  it  may  be  possible  with  further  elaboration  of  the 
technic  that  it  can  be  employed  successfully  in  animal  industry. 

This  is  merely  one  of  the  almost  innumerable  problems  that 
open  up  as  the  result  of  the  writer's  initial  studies  in  Auto- 
therapy  that   demand   immediate   investigation   of    the   most 


GYNECOLOGY  AND  OBSTETRICS  173 

searching  character.  Lack  of  laboratory  facilities  alone  has 
prevented  this  work  being  carried  to  its  therapeutic  conclusion. 
It  is  not  known  whether  a  cow  or  other  animal  is  supplying  her 
full  quota  of  milk  until  after  the  treatment  is  given.  If  she  is, 
there  is  no  evidence  that  harm  will  result,  if  the  treatment  is 
judiciously  employed.  If  she  is  not,  this  treatment  under  ordi- 
nary conditions  will  speed  up  quickly  the  activity  of  the  glands 
until  they  reach  their  maximum  capacity.  Some  animals  may 
not  require  three  injections,  others  may  not  require  two.  Each 
animal  should  be  individualized  according  to  its  needs. 

The  attention  of  veterinarians  is  directed  particularly  to  the 
simple  method  of  treating  mastitis  mentioned  in  the  opening 
paragraph  of  this  chapter. 


Case  103.  Mrs.  O.,  aged  32  years;  ten  days  after  delivery 
of  her  second  child,  her  breasts  became  flabby  and  the  milk  was 
markedly  diminished.  The  child  cried  most  of  the  time  when 
at  the  breast  and  sucked  its  fists.  The  breasts  were  cleansed 
with  boric  acid  solution  and  sterile  water,  and  by  gentle  mas- 
sage I  c.c.  of  milk  was  obtained  with  difficulty,  in  a  sterile 
receptacle.  Under  strict  aseptic  precautions  this  was  injected 
subcutaneously  in  the  gluteal  region.  Within  twenty-four 
hours  the  breasts  became  so  distended  that  milk  dropped  freely 
from  both  nipples.  She  had  no  difficulty  in  nursing  her  child. 
This  patient  received  two  other  injections  in  the  manner  indi- 
cated. 

Case  104.  Patient  aged  28  years;  on  the  fifth  day  after  her 
second  child  was  born,  her  supply  of  milk  became  greatly  di- 
minished. She  received  two  injections,  two  days  apart,  and 
as  a  result  nursed  her  child  with  no  further  trouble.  The 
child  was  soon  very  fat. 

Case  105.  Patient,  Mrs.  O.,  age  32  years,  primipara.  Milk 
failed  on  the  seventh  day  after  delivery.  She  was  then  in- 
jected with  2  c.c.  of  her  own  milk  subcutaneously.  Within 
twenty-four  hours  the  breasts  became  surcharged  with  milk  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  dripped  freely  from  the  nipples.     She 


174  AUTOTHERAPY 

was  injected  again  on  the  ninth  day.  Since  then  she  has  had 
no  trouble  in  nursing  the  child.  The  child  does  not  cry  all 
day  but  sleeps  most  of  the  time. 

Case  io6.  This  is  a  test  case  and  is  not  offered  as  having 
been  thoroughly  tried  out  but  to  show  the  lines  along  which 
tests  are  being  conducted.  The  patient,  Mrs.  B.,  had  a  scanty 
supply  of  milk  on  the  third  day.  She  was  instructed  to  take  a 
teaspoonful  of  her  own  milk  previous  to  each  nursing.  This  she 
did,  and  the  supply  daily  increased  so  that  she  no  longer  had 
trouble  in  this  direction. 

What  impresses  us  today  is  the  ever-widening  scope  of 
autotherapeutic  range,  embracing  practically  all  of  curative 
medicine  and  much  that  lies  entirely  without  its  border.  Par- 
ticularly is  this  natural  galactogogue  interesting,  for  the  patho- 
genesis of  the  condition  is  obscure. 

Since  the  above  was  written  Dr.  J.  H.  Wilms,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  reports  he  has  treated  many  cases  of  suppression  of  milk 
successfully  by  reinjecting  a  few  drops  at  weekly  intervals.  In 
one  case  the  milk  failed  thirty-five  days  after  delivery.  He 
read  a  paper  on  the  subject  before  his  local  County  Medical 
Society. 

Many  other  physicians  who  now  employ  this  treatment,  are 
enthusiastic  over  its  use. 


"One  by  one  science  is  cutting  the  links  in  the  chain  that  binds  the 
human  mind  to  the  rocks  of  ancient  belief  until  now  one  of  the  most 
ancient  and  cherished  relics  of  the  past,  our  ideas  of  medicine,  has  been 
smashed  by  the  conception  of  a  new  thought  embodied  in  autotherapy." 

CHAPTER  IX 

*  AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY 

The  mortality  among  nursing  infants  during  the  summer 
months  is  considered  from  two  aspects,  namely,  preventive  and 
therapeutic.  An  incomparably  better  method  of  treatment 
than  those  previously  employed,  is  the  unmodified  antitoxin 
treatment  previously  advocated  by  me. 

In  this  chapter  we  will  take  up  this  new  method  of  com- 
bating disease  with  the  unmodified  antitoxins  or  with  the 
substances  antidotal  to  the  action  of  all  of  the  toxins  pathogeni- 
cally  active  in  the  patient's  body.  This  method  I  call  Auto- 
galactotherapy  or  Unmodified  Antitoxin  Therapy. 

That  innumerable  pathogenic  microorganisms  enter  the 
body  daily  is  well  known.  Myriads  enter  with  the  inspired 
air.  They  are  taken  into  the  system  in  massive  doses,  at  every 
meal  and  in  other  ways.  Many  of  these  are  constantly  being 
destroyed  by  the  protective  agencies  or  fluids  of  the  body. 
During  their  destruction,  their  toxins  go  into  solution  by 
autolysis.     In   response   to  the  action   of   these   toxins   the 

*  Abstracted  from  an  article  by  the  writer  that  appeared  in  the  New 
York  Medical  Journal,  September  4,  1914,  under  the  title  of  "  Auto- 
galactotherapy."  This  was  reprinted  in  the  American  Veterinary  Re- 
view, February,  1915,  under  the  title  of,  "A  New  System  of  Thera- 
peutics." 

175 


176  AUTOTHERAPY 

healthy  tissues  produce  protective  agents — the  antitoxins. 
These  are  found  in  the  various  fluids  of  the  body,  as  the  milk, 
blood,  etc.  The  process  of  producing  antitoxins  in  the  body 
is  continually  going  on,  as  the  supply  of  microorganisms  is 
continuous  and  varied.  For  the  same  reason  the  lower  ani- 
mals also  produce  antitoxins  in  their  blood,  milk,  etc.  Be- 
sides the  antitoxins  continuously  produced  in  our  bodies  in  re- 
sponse to  the  invading  microorganisms,  we  take  into  the  body 
the  antitoxins  produced  in  the  animal,  by  eating  the  meat,  and 
drinking  the  milk  of  the  animals.  It  is  probable  that  many  of 
the  antitoxins  in  the  meat  are  destroyed  by  heat.  As  the 
results  of  many  tests  made  in  Autotherapy,  I  hold  that  the 
mouth  is  the  natural  channel  through  which  the  live  micro- 
organisms pass  into  the  healthy  tissues  and  there  safely  es- 
tablish immunity.  The  opsonic  index  is  quickly  raised  when 
many  varieties  of  live  pathogenic  microorganisms  are  taken 
into  the  comparatively  healthy  tissues  through  the  mouth,  i.e., 
the  staphylococcus,  streptococcus,  colon  bacillus,  etc.  This  has 
been  conclusively  proved  daily  in  the  clinic  by  many  thou- 
sands of  tests  by  myself  and  hundreds  of  other  physicians. 
The  writer  was  the  first  to  successfully  employ  the  live  patho- 
genic microorganisms  as  a  therapeutic  agent. 

By  taking  into  the  mouth  the  unmodified  antitoxins  produced 
by  the  animal,  we  acquire  passive  immunity.  This  in  the  past 
has  been  done  in  a  haphazard  manner  during  the  regular 
process  of  taking  nutriment.  It  is  the  object  of  the  writer 
to  show  how  this  haphazard  process  may  be  controlled  in  a 
measure,  i.e.,  placed  on  a  scientific  basis  and  utilized  in  a  very 
simple  manner,  both  in  prophylaxis  and  in  the  cure  of  disease. 

Experimentally  it  has  been  shown  by  MacClintock  and  others 
that  a  guinea-pig  will  absorb  in  an  empty  stomach,  in  one  hour, 
sufficient  antitoxins  to  protect  it  against  five  lethal  doses  of 
the  corresponding  toxin.      It   is  believed  the  heterogeneous 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  177 

antitoxin  will  cure  more  cases  of  the  corresponding  dis- 
ease than  a  heterogeneous  toxin  or  vaccine  of  that  micro- 
organism will  cure.  That  is  to  say,  the  antitoxin  does  not 
have  to  be  so  individualized  to  act  therapeutically  as  does  the 
toxin.  We  believe  the  antitoxin  tends  to  be  curative  in  prac- 
tically every  patient  having  the  corresponding  disease  and  that 
it  is  more  general  in  its  application  as  a  therapeutic  agent  than 
the  toxin  or  vaccine.  To  be  more  certain  of  cure,  the  toxin  or 
vaccine  must  be  taken  from  the  patient's  body.  The  range 
of  cure  of  the  toxin,  therefore,  is  narrowed  down  to  the  indi- 
vidual from  whom  it  was  taken,  unless  it  cures  by  accident. 

Milk  is  the  food  that  has  ever  been  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  by  all  civilized  people  in  all  ages  for  the  convalescent, 
the  invalid,  and  the  very  young.  For  these  it  stands  alone, 
the  food  supreme.  It  is  seldom  contraindicated  and  is  usually 
borne  well,  by  even  a  weakened  stomach.  It  is  the  natural 
food  the  mother  supplies  to  her  offspring.  But  as  Nature 
seldom  does  things  by  halves,  we  find  that  it  has  another  im- 
portant •  function  that  may  be  utilized,  that  of  transmitting 
the  immunity  of  the  mother  to  the  child.  Understanding  in  a 
measure  how  this  is  done,  as  the  results  of  many  clinical  tests 
on  human  subjects,  I  take  advantage  of  the  principle  that  under- 
lies the  immunization  of  the  young  through  milk,  and  employ 
it  in  immunizing  both  the  mature  and  the  young.* 

It  has  been  beautifully  designed  by  provident  Nature,  that 
the  psychic  affection  and  love  manifested  by  the  mother  in 
nursing  her  baby,  physically  transmits  through  her  milk  to 
the  child,  substances  that  protect  it  against  bacterial  inva- 
sion. The  human  mother  does  not  always  as  effectually  pro- 
tect her  offspring  against  bacterial  infection  by  the  antibodies 
contained  in  her  milk  as  do  the  mothers  of  the  lower  animals. 
The  reasons  for  this  will  be  pointed  out  later.  It  is  then  clearly 
*  American  Practitioner,  October  i,  1913. 


178  AUTOTHERAPY 

the  duty  of  the  physician  to  enter  on  the  scene  of  the  life 
struggles  of  the  infant  and  make  up  the  deficiency,  where 
possible,  by  adding  those  protective  agencies,  the  unmodified 
antibodies,  to  the  human  mother's  milk  in  which  it  is  deficient. 
One  method  of  doing  this  is  illustrated  in  the  following  tests. 

Case  107.  Patient,  female,  nursing  baby,  ten  months,  was 
presented  for  treatment,  suffering  with  a  severe  bronchitis. 
There  seemed  also  to  be  present  an  associated  rhinitis,  for 
mucus  flowed  quite  freely  from  the  nose.  The  condition  had 
persisted  for  about  ten  days.  As  to  treatment  the  mother  was 
instructed  to  collect  during  the  morning  upon  small  pledgets 
of  cotton  as  much  as  possible  of  the  mucus  flow  from  the  nose 
and  to  place  these  in  a  bottle  and  bring  it  to  the  office.  There 
were  about  twenty  pieces  in  an  ounce  bottle.  The  latter  was 
filled  with  water  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours 
with  occasional  agitation ;  after  which  time  the  contents  were 
expressed  and  passed  through  a  Berkfeld  filter.  Two  c.c.  of 
the  bacteria-free  filtrate  were  injected  subcutaneously  into  the 
mother  and  a  drachm  was  given  to  her  by  mouth.  The  mother 
said  she  had  a  slight  headache  the  next  day,  and  was  some- 
what feverish.  The  cutaneous  reaction  was  about  the  size  of 
the  palm  of  the  hand.  Forty-eight  hours  after  the  injection, 
however,  the  baby  was  distinctly  better  and  progressively 
recovered  without  any  other  medication.  This  test  has  been 
repeated  successfully  many  times. 

Case  108.  Patient,  M.  M.,  a  nursing  baby  seven  months 
old  had  been  crying  the  greater  part  of  the  night  for  about  a 
week.  He  would  nurse  but  little,  had  frequent  green  slimy 
stools,  and  a  discharge  from  the  right  ear.  The  latter  was 
cleansed  with  warm  boracic  acid  solution.  The  mother  was 
instructed  to  place  a  small  piece  of  absorbent  cotton  into  the 
ear,  with  sterile  fingers,  every  two  hours,  and  when  she  had 
about  twenty  pieces  saturated  with  the  discharge  to  bring  it 
to  the  office.  She  returned  the  following  day.  The  bottle, 
filled  with  distilled  water,  was  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve 
hours  with  occasional  agitation.  The  fluid  was  decanted  and 
the  cotton  squeezed  to  get  all  of  the  fluid  possible.  This  was 
mixed  with  equal  parts  of  alcohol  and  given  the  mother  with 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  179 

instructions  to  take  ten  drops  by  the  mouth  every  half  hour 
for  ten  doses.  In  forty-eight  hours  the  baby's  ear  stopped 
discharging.    There  has  been  no  recurrence  for  four  years. 

Case  109.  Baby  Constable,  2  years  old,  was  suffering  with 
running  ears  following  scarlet  fever  contracted  a  year  previous. 
The  mother  was  instructed  to  bring  in  about  twenty  pledgets  of 
absorbent  cotton  saturated  with  this  secretion ;  these  were 
placed  in  a  bottle  of  distilled  water  and  allowed  to  stand  for 
twenty-four  hours  with  occasional  agitation;  after  which  time 
it  was  filtered  through  a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus, 
and  the  filtrate  was  ready  for  use.  The  mother  having  a  5- 
months-old  nursing  baby,  was  injected  with  13^  c.c.  of  this 
filtrate.  She  encouraged  the  patient  to  nurse  one  of  her  breasts 
while  the  baby  nursed  the  other.  At  the  end  of  forty-eight 
hours  the  discharge  ceased.  The  nursing  babe  was  also  ren- 
dered immune  to  this  infection. 

Case  iio.  Patient,  age  31  years,  a  multipara.  The  husband 
contracted  gonorrhea  during  her  period  of  gestation  and  prob- 
ably infected  her,  but  this  was  not  known  to  the  writer  at  this 
time.  Four  days  after  delivery  she  developed  the  classic  symp- 
toms of  puerperal  infection.  To  combat  this  she  was  given 
a  cubic  centimeter  of  lochia  in  eight  divided  doses  an  hour 
apart.  The  writer  does  not  desire  to  lay  stress  on  this  well- 
known  autotherapeutic  method  of  treatment  as  so  much  has 
previously  been  written  on  the  subject.  It  is  the  treatment  of 
the  child  upon  which  he  desires  at  present  particularly  to  focus 
attention.  The  child  at  this  time  developed  a  severe  infection 
of  both  eyes,  the  conjunctivae  of  both  lids  were  congested  and 
inflamed  and  pus  flowed  freely  from  both  inner  canthi.  It  is 
altogether  probable  the  treatment  given  the  mother  would  cure 
the  child  by  autogalactotherapy :  but  the  writer  was  not  satis- 
fied in  treating  the  mother  alone,  trusting  that  the  child  would 
be  cured  by  the  antibodies  developed  in  her  body  and  passing 
to  the  child  through' her  milk.  For  it  is  well  known  that  most 
infections  are  mixed  and  while  the  child  probably  had  the  same 
causative  microorganisms  as  the  chief  etiological  factor,  there 
might  be  microorganisms  complicating  the  infections  of  the 
child  that  were  not  present  in  the  locus  of  infection  of  the 
mother.  So  to  be  certain  of  saving  the  eyes  of  the  child  the 
author  caught  the  pus  on  small  pledgets  of  absorbent  cotton. 


i8o  AUTOTHERAPY 

This  was  washed  with  sterile  water  in  a  bottle,  by  vigorously 
agitating  it  and  the  decanted  fluid  given  the  mother  in  divided 
doses.  The  child's  eyes  were  cleansed  with  boric  acid.  The 
mother  was  instructed  to  lie  on  her  abdomen  a  few  minutes 
every  hour  when  awake,  to  promote  free  drainage.  Nothing 
more  was  done,  both  improved  quickly  and  at  the  end  of  a 
week's  time  they  had  practically  recovered.  The  mother  was 
given  a  few  subsequent  treatments  as  a  matter  of  precaution, 
and  has  had  no  return  now  for  two  years.  The  treatment  is 
applicable  to  practically  all  local  infections  of  the  child,  as 
bronchitides,  rhinitides,  tonsilitides,  palatal  ulcerations,  infec- 
tion of  the  umbilical  stump. 

The  baby  in  case  No.  107  received  the  unmodified  antitoxins 
to  its  own  toxins  developed  in  the  mother  and  passed  to  the 
child  through  the  mother's  milk.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
young  can  present  but  little  resistance  to  an  invasion  of  the 
pathogenic  microorganisms.  Nature  designed  that  the  mother 
should  acquire  resistance  to  infections  for  it.  In  the  light  of 
Autotherapy,  this  cure  is  plain  when  we  recall  a  common 
every-day  occurrence,  and  perceive  it  in  the  light  of  scientific 
reasoning.  In  the  lower  animal  families,  as  in  the  cat  and 
dog  species,  the  mother  constantly  licks  any  and  all  of  the 
discharges  that  adhere  to  the  orifices  of  her  young.  She  seems 
always  to  be  employed  in  this  loving  watchful  care,  and  in  the 
colitides,  bronchitides,  sore  eyes,  etc.,  that  often  appear  in  the 
very  young,  she,  by  this  practice,  quickly  elaborates  in  her  body 
antitoxins  to  the  toxins  of  the  microorganisms  pathogenically 
active  in  her  offspring.  These  transmitted  antitoxins  not 
only  cure  the  one  infected,  but  immunize  the  remaining  young 
to  the  bacterial  infection  in  question.  Following  out  this  line  of 
thought,  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that  since  the  antitoxins  of 
commerce  are  developed  in  animals  in  response  to  the  injec- 
tion of  filtered  toxins,  if  a  cow,  she-goat,  or  other  female 
lactating  animal,  is  injected  with  filtered  toxins  from  which 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  i8i 

a  given  patient  suffers  (e.g.,  bronchitis,  enterocolitis,  purulent 
infection,  etc.),  the  injected  animal  should  develop  antitoxins 
to  all  of  the  toxins  active  in  the  patient.  The  patient  drinking 
the  milk  of  such  an  immunized  animal  would  thus  receive  sub- 
stances antidotal  to  all  of  the  toxins  active  in  his  body;  and 
this,  too,  without  extra  tax  upon  his  strength  or  danger  of 
calling  forth  anaphylaxis.  The  patient  is  thus  cured  in  the 
quickest  and  easiest  manner  possible,  for  there  would  be  no 
systemic  disturbances,  such  as  rise  in  the  temperature,  chill, 
headache,  fever,  etc.  Every  one  may  have  an  animal  to  with- 
stand the  strain  incident  to  the  development  of  substances 
directly  antagonistic  to  the  disease  or  antidotal  to  the  toxins 
in  a  given  case.  In  fact  several  of  my  patients  have  lactating 
goats  for  this  purpose.  They  are  as  conscientious  almost  in 
looking  after  the  goat's  interests,  as  if  it  were  one  of  the 
family. 

All  that  is  necessary  to  do  is  to  filter  the  exudate  from  the 
patient's  body  properly  and  inject  the  bacteria-free  immuniz- 
ing filtrate  subcutaneously  into  the  animal.  In  many  instances 
we  may  simply  give  the  exudate  to  the  animal  by  the  mouth. 
After  developing  active  immunity  in  the  animal,  the  animal's 
milk  is  given  to  the  patient  to  drink  when  nourishment  is  re- 
quired. In  this  way  the  patient  takes  the  unmodified  anti- 
bodies into  the  empty  stomach  where,  as  previously  stated,  it 
has  been  found  that  they  are  readily  taken  up  by  the  tis- 
sues, thus  rendering  the  patient  able  to  resist  the  action  of  the 
toxins  active  in  his  body.  A  healthy  lactating  woman  would  be 
ideal  for  this  purpose,  for  then  we  should  have  the  ideal  sub- 
stance for  combating  disease — the  human  antitoxins.  But  the 
danger  of  infection  from  a  woman,  who  may  have  previously 
contracted  some  disease,  might  be  a  factor  that  would  militate 
against  the  general  adoption  of  this  agency.  The  blood  of 
a  human  being  bearing  the  burden  of  the  disease  may  be  used 


i82  AUTOTHERAPY 

to  convey  the  antitoxins  to  the  patient,  by  transfusion.     Ani- 
mals' blood  may  be  given  per  os. 

Case  hi.  Patient,  male,  age  40  years,  chronic  catarrhal 
condition  of  the  respiratory  tract.  The  filtrate  of  his  sputum 
was  injected  periodically  into  a  lactating  goat.  He  was  then 
given  the  goat's  milk  to  drink  on  an  empty  stomach.  He  gained 
two  pounds  a  week  for  six  weeks.  His  cough  and  sputum 
gradually  lessened.  At  the  end  of  two  months  he  claimed  he 
was  well. 

Case  112.  Patient,  male,  age  35  years,  has  had  a  chronic 
catarrhal  condition  of  the  respiratory  tract  for  several  years. 
He  applied  for  treatment  August,  191 5.  The  patient  smoked 
on  an  average  of  twenty  to  forty  cigarettes  a  day.  A  filtrate 
of  sputum  was  prepared  in  the  usual  manner  and  eight  hypo- 
dermic injections  were  given  periodically  with  but  little  bene- 
fit. At  the  suggestion  of  the  writer  he  took  the  milk  of  a  goat 
that  had  been  immuned  by  the  periodical  injections  of  the  fil- 
trate of  his  sputum.  The  improvement  was  slight.  He  was 
then  told  that  if  he  did  not  stop  smoking,  it  would  be  useless 
to  continue  the  treatment.  He  then  stopped  smoking  and  was 
instructed  to  take  a  hot  bath  and  an  enema  daily  for  ten  days 
and  to  report  for  treatment.  A  fresh  sample  of  mucus  was 
obtained  and  the  goat  was  injected  subcutaneously  with  a 
filtrate  from  this  at  intervals  of  four  days.  The  patient  pro- 
gressed and  at  the  end  of  two  months  he  had  entirely  recovered. 

It  is  but  a  very  short  step  from  the  animal  mother  in  the 
care  of  her  young,  to  the  human  mother  in  the  care  of  her 
young.  The  remarkable  feature  is  that  there  are  few  mothers 
who  would  not  as  a  last  resort  cure  their  babies,  no  matter 
what  the  cost  might  be  to  preconceived  ideas.  One  said  that 
she  would  do  it  if  it  was  necessary,  that  there  was  nothing 
about  her  baby  that  was  abhorrent  or  revolting  to  her.  It 
was  part  of  her  body,  she  nourished  it  with  her  body,  why 
should  she  not  save  its  life  in  the  same  way?  The  mother 
will  rarely  be  called  upon  to  lick  the  moist  gangrene  from 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  183 

the  umbilical  stump,  or  the  palatal  ulceration  of  the  new-born, 
or  taste  the  pathogenic  discharge  from  the  colon,  or  the  mucus 
from  the  nose,  or  pus  from  the  eyes,  for  the  physician  is 
usually  at  hand  to  administer  the  more  elegant  preparation 
in  the  manner  suggested.  The  life  of  an  heir  means  much 
at  times,  both  to  the  present  generation  and  to  posterity;  it 
always  means  much  to  the  mother.  In  such  cases,  no  power 
within  the  scope  of  human  endeavor  would  be  overlooked  to 
save  the  life  of  the  offspring;  anything  that  would  do  this 
would  be  frantically  welcomed.  To  be  sure,  other  means  often 
cure  these  conditions,  but  the  method  here  presented  appears 
to  be  a  very  certain  cure  in  many  maladies,  if  the  treatment  is 
not  too  long  withheld. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  indicate  that  no  mother  with 
motherly  instincts  would  hesitate  to  take  the  discharge  if  she 
was  convinced  that  it  would  save  the  life  of  her  baby.  Should 
the  physician  hesitate  to  give  the  effective  medication  simply 
because  it  is  not  aesthetic  or  palatable?  the  case  may  be 
urgent  and  time  an  all-important  factor.  The  physician  may 
not  have  the  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  or  it  may 
be  impossible  to  obtain  one.  From  a  therapeutic  point  of 
view  the  method  of  licking  the  discharge  is  the  natural  method 
bequeathed  by  old  "  Dame  Nature  "  for  the  protection  of  the 
life  of  the  young  by  its  mother;  its  natural  protector  its  life- 
giver,  now  its  life-saver.  Oh !  the  beauty  and  completeness  of 
Nature  and  her  ways.  The  next  case  was  in  a  very  poor 
family : 

Case  113.  Patient,  male,  nursing  baby  two  weeks  old.  The 
delivery  was  normal,  and  everything  progressed  apparently 
satisfactorily.  The  writer  was  called.  He  found  an  extensive 
excoriation  of  the  gluteal  region  around  the  anus.  Both  folds 
were  inflamed,  very  red,  with  much  induration.  He  prescribed 
the  usual  remedies  for  this  condition  and  left  word  to  be 
called  if  there  was  no  improvement.    Two  weeks  later  he  was 


i84  AUTOTHERAPY 

again  called.  At  this  time  he  found  the  inflammation  had 
apparently  extended  over  the  whole  body  in  the  form  of  small 
pustules.  There  were  many  on  the  head  and  legs.  On 
the  following  day  the  mother  had  a  large  boil  on  the  mons 
veneris,  showing  she  too,  had  a  lowered  index  to  the  infecting 
pyogenic  microorganisms.  On  the  following  day  the  boil  was 
opened  and  a  drachm  of  pus  was  liberated.  Microscopically, 
this  was  diagnosed  to  be  streptococcus,  short  chains,  pneu- 
mococcus  moderate,  occasional  bacilli.  She  was  given  five 
drops  of  this,  mixed  with  an  ounce  of  water,  by  the  mouth,  in 
divided  doses,  an  hour  apart.  Within  twenty-four  hours  a 
distinct  change  came  over  both  mother  and  child.  The  mother 
had  no  pain  and  was  comfortable.  In  forty-eight  hours  the 
pus  had  dried  up,  leaving  only  some  redness  to  mark  the  site 
of  the  furuncle.  The  baby  went  on  quickly  to  recovery.  Its 
temperature  became  normal,  the  pustules  dried  up,  and  it 
stopped  crying.  Four  days  afterwards,  the  child  was  ap- 
parently well,  with  smooth,  soft,  healthy  baby  skin. 

The  unmodified  antitoxins  developed  in  the  mother  and 
passing  to  the  child  through  the  mother's  milk,  is  the  main 
factor  upon  which  the  resistance  of  the  child  to  bacterial  in- 
fection depends.  This,  then,  is  the  reason  why  the  bottle-fed 
infant  is  more  prone  to  bacterial  infections  than  a  breast-fed 
baby.  The  bottle-fed  infant  acquires  immunity  to  the  micro- 
organisms to  which  the  healthy  cow  is  exposed.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  the  cow  under  normal  conditions  does  not  take  the 
microorganisms  to  which  the  infant  is  commonly  exposed,  in 
sufficiently  large  amounts  from  her  food,  as  grass,  hay,  etc., 
to  cause  a  very  great  amount  of  acquired  immunity  in  the 
human  patient  drinking  her  milk.  If  the  cow  is  systematically 
immunized  with  the  unmodified  toxins  of  the  pathogenic 
microorganisms  that  infect  a  given  patient  in  sufficient  amounts, 
she  will  produce  a  relatively  large  amount  of  antibodies  to 
the  injected  toxins  respectively,  an  amount  sufficient  to  give 
passive  immunity  to  the  corresponding  microorganisms  to  the 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  185 

human  being  drinking  her  milk.  For  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  nursing  infant  or  invalid  would  take  the  antitoxins 
in  the  milk,  on  an  empty  stomach  in  comparatively  large 
amounts  and  that  continuously.  This  method  of  treating  the 
patients  appears  to  be  far  reaching,  and  its  importance  is  hard 
to  estimate  at  the  present  time. 

For  many  years  the  writer  has  never  given  a  nursing  babe 
a  cathartic  or  laxative.  He  gives  it  to  the  mother,  and  the 
results  are  positive  and  apparently  better  than  when  given  to 
the  child.  Calomel  given  to  the  mother  is  especially  effective 
in  moving  the  baby's  bowels.  In  view  of  this  fact,  I  ask 
myself  the  question :  "  Is  it  not  possible  that  some  of  the  in- 
testinal disturbances  in  the  bottle-fed  babies  are  due  to  intes- 
tinal disturbances  of  the  cow,  manifested  by  her  loose  stools, 
caused  by  the  food  she  eats,  some  particular  kind  of  plant,  or 
grass,  or  weed  that  acts  on  her  bowels  as  a  cathartic  ?  "  If 
intestinal  disturbances  of  the  bottle-fed  infant  are  due  to  in- 
fecting microorganisms,  or  to  diarrhoea  in  the  cow,  what  be- 
comes of  the  highly  complex  formulas  or  percentages  for 
infant  feeding  worked  out  for  these  cases?  It  appears  that 
percentages  of  infant  feeding  in  these  specific  cases  should 
be  employed  simply  as  adjuvants.  It  seems  that  if  more 
attention  was  given  to  the  feeding  of  cows,  there  would  be  less 
intestinal  disturbances  during  the  summer  in  the  bottle-fed 
infants.  It  appears  that  if  the  cows  were  immunized  to  the 
microorganisms  that  commonly  infect  the  bottle-fed  infant, 
there  would  be  even  fewer  disturbances  of  this  kind. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  strong  mental  impression  of  the 
mother  often  affects  the  nursing  infant  seriously,  through  the 
toxins  so  generated  in  her  body ;  these  reaching  the  child 
through  her  milk.  Carpenter's  physiology  mentions  several 
cases  where  death  occurred  in  the  nursing  infant  by  the  trans- 
mission of  toxic  substances  that  were  generated  in  the  mother 


i86  AUTOTHERAPY 

by  a  strong  mental  impression  to  the  child  through  the  mother's 
milk. 

Case  114.  During  the  early  spring  of  1914,  Professor  Wm. 
H.  Dieflfenbach,  of  New  York  City,  was  severely  poisoned  with 
poison  ivy  while  working  on  his  farm.  His  ears  swelled  to 
three  times  their  natural  size.  His  face  and  arms  were  cov- 
ered with  blisters.  He  became  so  acutely  sensitive  to  the 
poison  that  he  would  have  another  attack  by  even  riding 
through  the  country  in  his  automobile.  He  has  had  six  dis- 
tinct attacks  during  the  spring  and  summer.  In  fact  he  could 
not  go  into  the  country  without  having  an  attack.  He  tried 
over  thirty  different  remedies  without  effecting  a  cure.  Hav- 
ing read  a  paper  by  the  author  on  the  subject  of  Unmodi- 
fied Antitoxin  Therapy  or  Autogalactotherapy,  he  decided  to 
test  it  on  himself  as  a  patient.  Accordingly  he  had  his  hired 
man  give  one  of  his  cows  the  leaves  of  the  poison  ivy  for  sev- 
eral days.  He  then  drank  about  a  quart  of  this  cow's  milk. 
In  a  few  hours  the  stinging,  biting  sensation  became  less  and 
the  painful  itching  gradually  subsided.  He  improved  and  made 
an  uneventful  recovery.  He  has  been  up  to  the  farm  several 
times  with  no  sign  of  recurrence.  The  cow  apparently  thrived 
on  the  leaves. 

In  view  of  the  extreme  sensitiveness  or  low  resistance  Pro- 
fessor Dieffenbach  manifested  to  the  toxic  principle  of  poison 
ivy,  and  the  quick  response  he  made  to  the  antisubstances  in 
the  milk,  I  ask  myself  the  question :  would  several  patients 
whom  I  have  formerly  treated  with  the  filtered  toxins  from 
their  own  infecting  microorganisms,  and  who  had  extremely 
low  resistance  to  them,  have  been  benefited  by  the  antitoxins 
of  these  toxins  that  were  generated  in  an  animal  and  trans- 
mitted to  the  patient  through  the  milk  or  blood  ?  The  affirma- 
tive answer  it  appears,  we  are  bound  to  give,  opens  up  thera- 
peutic possibilities  of  value.  The  writer  has  never  seen  any 
appreciable  systematic  disturbance  following  the  use  of  un- 
modified antitoxins  in  milk. 

It  seems  as  if  large  firms  making  a  business  of  supplying 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  187 

milk  for  infant  feeding,  could  add  immunizing  qualities  to  the 
milk  without  in  any  way  interfering  with  the  percentages  of  the 
composition  of  the  milk.  They  could  possibly  supply  the  anti- 
toxins in  the  milk  that  would  tend  to  combat  or  antidote  the 
pathogenic  microorganisms  or  the  etiological  factors  of  some 
forms  of  dysenteries,  diarrhoeas,  bronchitides,  etc.  They 
could  place  a  certain  number  of  cows  aside  to  produce  milk 
that  would  combat  infections  caused  by  the  staphylococcus, 
streptococcus,  colon  bacillus,  etc.,  and  use  this  milk  for  infant 
feeding,  both  as  a  prophylactic  and  therapeutic  agent.  At  my 
suggestion,  one  large  milk  laboratory  is  making  tests  along  this 
line. 

Let  us  assume  for  the  sake  of  discussion  that  an  epidemic 
of  typhoid  fever  breaks  out  in  a  community.  If  this  treat- 
ment is  effective  in  typhoid  fever,  the  authorities  will  see  that 
the  community  is  immediately  supplied  with  antityphoid  fever 
milk,  or  milk  from  cows  that  have  been  immunized  with  the 
toxins  of  typhoid  fever.  The  patient  will  purchase,  or  be  sup- 
plied by  the  Department  of  Health,  with  antityphoid  fever 
milk.  Thus  the  whole  community  will  be  quickly  and  safely 
immunized  to  typhoid  fever  by  employing  the  most  common 
necessary  article  of  food,  and  that  without  any  danger.  Carry- 
ing this  conception  still  further,  we  might  possibly  anticipate 
or  antedate  an  outbreak  of  an  epidemic,  by  supplying  antidotal 
milk  before  the  time  statistics  indicate  that  it  is  liable  to  occur. 
We  now  largely  control  the  conditions  under  which  the  supply 
of  milk  is  obtained  and  its  passage  to  the  consumer. 

It  would  take  a  somewhat  more  rigorous  regulation  in  the 
supply  of  milk,  to  be  sure,  but  this  is  not  a  problem  that  could 
not  be  worked  out  scientifically  and  comparatively  economi- 
cally.   This  is  the  age  of  preventive  medicine. 

The  physician  knowing  that  a  woman  who  is  about  to  be 
confined  will  be  exposed  to  infection,  could,  after  taking  the 


i88  AUTOTHERAPY 

usual  aseptic  precautions,  place  her  on  antipyogenic  and  anti- 
tetanic  milk,  both  before  and  after  parturition.  By  so  doing 
he  could  be  reasonably  certain  that  infection  would  not  take 
place,  even  though  his  aseptic  surgical  technic  was  faulty. 
He  would  be  even  more  certain  that  severe  infection  would 
not  take  place  if  he  employed  *  Autotherapy  of  labor  at  the 
same  time. 

The  following  case  illustrates  the  author's  combined  unmodi- 
fied toxin  and  unmodified  antitoxin  method  of  treatment  as  a 
prophylactic  to  purulent  infection.  Let  us  assume  for  the  sake 
of  bringing  out  the  various  phases  of  the  discussion  clearly, 
that  an  important  man  of  the  nation  sustains  a  compound 
fracture  of  both  bones  of  the  leg  with  extensive  lacerations. 
His  leg  and  life  must  be  saved  if  possible.  The  writer  be- 
lieves that  the  following  treatment  would  prevent  infection 
almost  every  time.  Either  of  these  alone  would  probably  be 
effective,  if  the  treatment  is  properly  carried  out.  Beginning 
on  the  day  of  the  accident,  the  patient  is  instructed  to  lick  the 
wound  thoroughly  once  daily  or  oftener.  When  this  is  done, 
the  wound  will  heal  without  evidence  of  infection.  How- 
ever, the  patient  may  not  be  able  to  get  the  wound  in  his 
mouth,  or  he  may  object  to  this  method  of  treatment  on  the 
ground  that  it  is  not  appetizing  or  aesthetic.  Then  in  treating 
the  patient  autotherapeutically,  the  physician  has  the  choice  of 
two  other  methods  of  treatment.  He  may  give  the  patient 
one-half  of  the  discharge  from  the  wound  daily  by  the  mouth 
in  divided  doses,  without  his  knowledge,  at  both  morning  and 
evening  dressings,  or  the  discharge  from  the  wound  may  be 
passed  through  a  fBerkefeld  filter  and  the  bacteria-free  filtrate 

*  See  "  Autotherapy  in  Gynecology  and  Obstetrics,"  Medical  Times, 
May,  1914,  article  by  the  writer. 

t  Practitioner  (London),  April,  1914,  article  by  the  writer,  under  the 
title  of  Autotherapy. 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  189 

injected  hypodermatically  in  proper  doses  daily,  according  to 
the  technic  given  in  previous  chapters  on  the  subject. 

One-half  of  the  discharge  is  employed  daily  to  immunize  a 
goat  or  other  lactating  animal.  On  the  day  following  an  in- 
jection of  the  animal,  the  patient  is  given  the  goat's  milk  to 
drink  when  nourishment  is  required.  By  employing  the  dis- 
charge from  both  morning  and  evening  dressings,  we  should 
be  certain  of  obtaining  the  microorganisms  as  early  as  pos- 
sible. The  patient  treated  by  this  method  would  be  developing 
active  immunity  to  his  infecting  microorganisms  or  autoim- 
munity, while  the  animal  would  be  developing  immunity  to  the 
microorganisms  pathogenically  active  in  the  patient  at  the  same 
time.  The  patient  would  thus  receive  nourishment,  and  at  the 
same  time  be  taking  antibodies  specific  to  all  of  his  infecting 
microorganisms.  If  the  wound  is  clean  this  treatment  will  do 
no  harm.  The  regular  preparation  of  a  patient  for  an  opera- 
tion usually  includes  a  diet  of  milk,  both  before  and  after  the 
operation.  There  appears  to  be  no  reason  why  this  milk  should 
not  be  antipyogenic  milk,  or  milk  containing  substances  anti- 
dotal to  pus  formation,  or  antagonistic  to  pyogenic  infection, 
that  at  times  follows  an  operation. 

We  may  be  able  to  forestall  some  operations  by  having  the 
patient  drink  antipyogenic  milk,  or  milk  from  cows  that  have 
been  immunized  to  the  common  pus  producing  microorganisms. 
This  is  an  exceedingly  quick  method  of  immunization.  It 
lends  itself  readily  to  many  conditions.  In  a  few  hours  we 
may  be  immune  to  one  or  many  infections.  It  is  the  least 
harmful  method  of  immunization.  In  fact  the  patient  may 
not  know  he  is  being  immunized.  It  taxes  the  system  less 
than  any  other  method,  making  it  a  boon  to  the  very  weak 
and  enfeebled,  also  the  very  young.  It  interferes  with  no 
established  method  of  treatment,  but  offers  an  additional 
element  of   safety   when  the   treatment   is   properly   carried 


190  AUTOTHERAPY 

out.  There  is  no  anaphylaxis,  no  serum  sickness,  no  tax  on 
the  heart.  The  advantages  of  ray  unmodified  antitoxin  method 
of  treatment  are  many  and  will  readily  suggest  themselves  to 
the  reader  familiar  v^'ith  the  subject  of  immunity. 

It  is  believed  that  the  very  young  have  little  pov^rer  of 
reaction  to  toxins  of  the  pathogenic  microorganisms,  and  for 
this  reason  we  should  seldom  attempt  to  produce  active  im- 
munity by  giving  children  medication  that  depends  on  reaction 
for  cure,  but  we  should  immunize  the  mother  if  possible,  when 
it  becomes  necessary  to  immunize  the  nursing  baby,  for  she  is 
usually  stronger  and  better  able  to  withstand  the  strain  inci- 
dent to  the  development  of  antibodies  that  are  the  result  of  the 
reaction.  When  we  immunize  the  mother  to  the  microorgan- 
isms, pathogenically  active  in  the  child,  there  are  developed  in 
the  mother  antibodies  specific  to  all  of  the  microorganisms 
that  infect  the  child,  both  causative  and  complicating; 
hence  the  cure  is  more  rapid  than  it  would  be,  had  the  mother 
or  child  been  immunized  in  any  other  way.  A  diagnosis  is 
often  unnecessary  as  far  as  a  cure  is  concerned  when  this 
method  of  treatment  is  employed.  It  is  a  simple  office  or  bed- 
side procedure. 

The  mother  who  does  not  nurse  her  babe,  robs  it  of  the  pro- 
tective agencies  against  disease  that  belong  to  it  by  inheritance, 
that  are  bequeathed  to  it  by  Nature.  Heretofore  we  have  been 
immunizing  against  the  more  or  less  rare  infections  and  have 
practically  overlooked  or  neglected  to  immunize  as  a  prophy- 
lactic against  the  most  common  pathogenic  microorganisms 
with  which  we  have  to  deal,  i.e.,  the  staphylococcus,  and 
streptococcus.  There  appears  to  be  no  good  reason  why  we 
should  not  immunize  against  these  as  well,  and  many  good 
sound  reasons  why  we  should  immunize  our  patients  against 
these  at  stated  intervals.  These  cocci  cause  and  complicate 
more  diseases  than  all  of  the  other  pathogenic  microorganisms 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  191 

put  together.  The  advantages  of  immunizing  against  these 
microorganisms  are  apparent  when  we  understand  that  "  they 
are  found,"  as  Mittman  says,  "  in  seventy  cutaneous  diseases." 
They  also  cause,  or  comphcate,  nearly  every  form  of  respira- 
tory infection,  as  bronchitis,  tonsilitis,  sinus  involvement, 
rhinitis,  pharyngitis,  laryngitis,  pneumonia,  pulmonary  tuber- 
culosis; also  boils,  abscesses,  furuncles,  rheumatism,  appendi- 
citis, cholecystitis,  endometritis,  salpingitis,  etc.  Being  immune 
to  these  cocci,  it  is  probable  that  infections  in  which  they  often 
act  as  a  complicating  factor  would  not  be  as  severe  as  they 
would  be  had  the  patient  not  been  immunized.  If  we  include  a 
very  few  other  pathogenic  microorganisms,  against  which  we 
would  periodically  immunize  our  patients  by  giving  them  the 
unmodified  antitoxins  contained  in  milk  from  an  animal  im- 
munized to  these  microorganisms,  we  should  probably  be  able 
to  forestall  or  keep  our  patients  free  from  a  vast  number 
of  the  common  infections  to  which  human  flesh  is  heir  and 
prolong  human  life.  Some  physicians  may  prefer  actively 
to  immunize  their  patients  to  these  cocci.  It  remains  a  matter 
of  choice,  but  the  writer  prefers  the  passive  immunization  in 
the  manner  suggested. 

During  the  summer  months  when  the  colitides,  dysenteries, 
etc.,  are  common  in  nursing  infants,  if  we  actively  immunize 
the  mother  as  a  prophylactic  to  infections  common  in  the  nurs- 
ing infant,  as  staphylococcus,  streptococcus,  colon  bacillus,  etc., 
it  is  probable  that  a  great  many  summer  complaints  common  in 
the  young  would  not  occur,  and  the  mother  herself  would  be 
immune  to  many  of  the  diseases  mentioned  above,  and  there 
are  strong  probabilities  that  her  health  would  be  better  and 
therefore  she  would  secrete  a  better  quality  of  milk.  The 
writer  has  done  this  for  several  years.  The  question 
arises:  What  is  the  distinctive  field  of  medicine  which 
autogalactotherapy  and  Autotherapy  are  destined  to  occupy? 


192  AUTOTHERAPY 

In  all  infectious  diseases  the  improved  condition  of  the  body 
depends  on  the  antitoxins  or  antibodies.  The  antitoxin  is 
developed  in  the  living  animal  tissues  in  response  to  the  action 
of  a  toxin  on  these  tissues.  The  antitoxin  is  the  result  of  the 
reaction  of  the  tissues  to  the  action  of  the  toxin.  Not  every 
person  suffering  with  a  toxic  disease  dies.  The  antibodies  are 
the  substances  the  tissues  produce  to  neutralize  or  antidote  the 
actions  of  toxin  substances  and  hence  to  cure  the  disease. 
The  antitoxins  developed  in  an  animal,  to  the  toxins  that 
are  pathogenetically  active  in  a  given  patient's  body,  are 
effective,  if  given  to  that  patient.  The  antitoxin  that  is  previ- 
ously produced  in  an  animal  is  more  prompt  in  its  action  than 
the  antitoxin  the  patient  would  be  compelled  to  produce  by  the 
action  of  his  toxins  on  his  body  tissues.  But  the  immunity 
acquired  by  the  use  of  heterogeneous  antitoxin  is  of  shorter 
duration. 

There  is  little  or  no  systemic  disturbance  in  the  patient  after 
taking  the  antitoxins  contained  in  the  milk  of  an  immune 
animal.  There  is  always  a  local  reaction  after  giving  an  un- 
modified toxin-complex  hypodermatically,  and  if  the  dose  is 
sufficiently  large  an  apparent  systemic  reaction  also  follows 
its  use.  The  range  of  effective  doses  of  the  unmodified  toxin- 
complex  is  so  very  great,  however,  if  it  is  given  with  a 
skilled  appreciation  of  the  nature  of  the  infection  and  the 
response  of  the  individual,  the  dose  can  usually  be  fairly 
accurately  gauged  and  readily  modified  by  experiment,  so  that 
there  will  be  no  appreciable  systemic  disturbance  of  any  kind. 
There  must  always  be  some  reaction,  else  no  antitoxins  will 
be  developed.  This  reaction,  however  slight,  might  be  a  factor 
that  would  militate  against  its  use  in  patients  of  very  low 
vitality  or  reactive  power.  The  antitoxin,  therefore,  may  be 
given  in  preference  to  the  toxin,  to  those  patients  who  have 
little  power  of  reaction,  namely,  the  very  young  and  very  old. 


AUTOGALACTOTHERAPY  193 

and  to  patients  with  little  vitality,  or  slight  recuperative 
forces. 

This  latter  class  of  patients  are  often  found  among  those 
suffering  with  chronic  diseases.  By  this  it  is  not  to  be  inferred 
that  the  unmodified  antitoxin  therapy  is  not  applicable  to  acute 
infectious  diseases,  for  it  appears  that  it  is.  The  acute  onset 
of  some  infectious  diseases  is  so  rapid,  however,  that  we  may 
not  always  be  able  to  employ  autogalactotherapy  as  soon  as 
desired,  unless  a  lactating  animal  is  always  at  hand  ready  for 
use.  For  this  reason  I  believe  it  will  be  used  more  frequently 
in  chronic  diseases. 

On  the  other  hand,  Autotherapy  is  especially  applicable  in 
all  acute  localized  infectious  diseases,  curing  them  or  abating 
them  quickly,  often  within  twenty-four  hours,  if  given  suffi- 
ciently early.  It  is  often  equally  effective  in  chronic  diseases. 
If  acute  diseases  are  cured  quickly  by  means  of  Autotherapy 
there  will  be  no  chronic  diseases  for  autogalactotherapy  to 
cure.  I  believe  that  a  judicious  combination  of  both  Auto- 
therapy and  autogalactotherapy  constitute  the  most  rational 
treatment  of  localized  and  possibly  non-localized  infectious 
diseases. 

Resume 

Let  us  review  briefly  the  advantages  the  writer's  methods 
offer  the  mother  and  child. 

1.  Autotherapy  reduces  the  loss  of  life  from  puerperal  infec- 

tion to  a  minimum. 

2.  Autotherapy  hastens  normal  labor. 

3.  Autotherapy  facilitates  normal  convalescence  or  recupera- 

tion. 

4.  Autotherapy  increases  the  supply  of  mother's  milk. 

5.  Autotherapy  reduces  the  number  of  bottle-fed  babies  with 

the  concomitant  dangers,  for  this  reason. 


194  AUTOTHERAPY 

6.  When  Autotherapy  is  employed  there  will  be  fewer  sleep- 

less nights  for  the  mother  with  a  consequent  conserva- 
tion of  her  health. 

7.  Autotherapy  is  useful  in  ophthalmia  neonatorum. 

8.  The  danger  to  the  child   from  infection    (coughs,   colds, 

pneumonia,  etc.)  during  its  nursing  life  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum. 

9.  The  advantages  Autotherapy  offers  the  mother  extend  be- 

yond the  period  of  parturition,  for  when  an  infection 
at  the  time  of  labor  is  properly  overcome,  there  will  be 
no  ensuing  pelvic  infections  with  the  undermining  of 
health  and  tendency  towards  barrenness. 

In  connection  with  the  hypothetical  case  mentioned  on  pages 
188  and  189,  the  following  treatment  may  also  be  employed — 
A  healthy  individual  may  also  be  immunized  to  the  toxins 
active  in  the  patient's  body  by  receiving  periodically  hypo- 
dermic injections  of  the  filtrate  of  the  microorganisms  that 
infect  the  patient,  and  the  blood  of  the  individual  now  highly 
bactericidal  to  these  microorganisms  be  transmitted  to  the 
patient  by  intravenous  transfusion. 


In  the  light  of  Autotherapy, 

The  despised  drop  of  mucus  becomes  a  ministering  angel  of  mercy 

bequeathed  by  provident  Nature  to  cure  the  patient. 


CHAPTER  X 
RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS 

*  Hippocrates  insists  that, — "  Observation  rather  than  specu- 
lation is  the  true  instrument  of  progress."  In  the  last  analysis 
the  ultimate  object  of  all  laboratory  investigation  is,  therapy. 

The  clanger  to  the  patient  and  the  grave  responsibility  of  the 
physician  in  his  relation  to  his  patient  suffering  with  an  infec- 
tion of  the  respiratory  tract,  has  never  been  brought  so 
forcibly  to  our  attention  as  the  study  of  Autotherapy  reveals ; 
for  we  have  never  so  well  understood  the  direct  relation  of 
respiratory  infections  to  so  many  diseases.  Autotherapy 
makes  it  clear  that  it  is  but  a  very  short  step  from  a  "  com- 
mon cold  "  to  many  of  its  lineal  descendants,  namely  sinus 
involvements,  otitis  media,  hay  fever,  asthma,  rhinitis,  in- 
fluenza, pneumonia,  appendicitis  and  many  other  infections  of 
the  deeper  structures  of  the  head,  chest,  abdomen  and  other 
parts  of  the  body. 

In  chronic  infections  of  the  respiratory  tract,  the  resistance 

*  Abstract  of  an  article  by  the  writer  that  appeared  in  the  New  York 
Medical  Journal,  December  14  and  21,  1912,  under  the  title  of  "  Auto- 
immunization,  or  The  Unmodified  Autogenous  Toxin-complex  in  the 
treatment  of  Diseases,"  and  from  the  Medical  Record,  September  5, 
J914,  by  Charles  H.  Duncan. 

195 


196  AUTOTHERAPY 

of  the  tissues  is  often  lowered,  and  the  tissues  then  offer  a 
fertile  field  for  other  infections,  and  air-borne  contagions, 
namely,  pulmonary  tuberculosis,  measles,  mumps,  whooping- 
cough,  cerebrospinal  meningitis,  diphtheria,  etc. 

In  order  that  it  may  not  be  overlooked,  the  writer  will  state, 
that  in  this  discussion  we  are  dealing  principally  with  diseases 
uncomplicated  except  by  bacterial  infections.  Many  bacterial 
infections,  especially  those  of  the  nose,  pharynx,  larynx,  etc., 
are  so  closely  allied  to  bacterial  infections  of  other  parts  of 
the  respiratory  tract  that  from  an  autotherapeutic  point  of 
view  it  is  often  unnecessary  to  made  a  differential  diagnosis 
to  treat  them  successfully.  Ordinary  common  colds  are  a 
mixed  bacterial  infection,  and  should  be  treated  as  such.  This 
was  pointed  out  by  the  writer  in  the  New  York  Medical  Jour- 
nal, December  14  and  21,  1912,  in  an  article  under  the  title  of 
"  Autotherapy." 

There  he  states,  "  acute  or  subacute  bronchitis,  may  usually 
be  checked  in  twenty-four  hours  and  chronic  bronchitis  is 
often  cured  in  a  few  weeks  by  injecting  the  patient  hypoder- 
matically  with  the  filtrate  from  his  own  sputum  at  proper 
intervals." 

A  physician  who  represents  the  progressive  element  of  the 
profession  and  who  is  a  close  student  of  Autotherapy,  re- 
marked as  he  spat  mucus  from  a  catarrhal  condition,  "  There 
goes  my  remedy !  "  And  he  was  right !  That  mucus  did 
contain  his  remedy,  especially  fitted  or  adapted  to  his  individual 
needs,  as  was  no  other.  It  only  needed  to  be  properly  filtered, 
and  his  remedy,  *  specific  for  his  condition,  uncontaminated 
and  unmodified  by  laboratory  technic,  would  be  at  hand  ready 
for  use.     It  could  not  be  duplicated.     His  condition  usually 

*  The  word  "  Specific "  has  lost  much  of  its  true  meaning.  Qne 
commercial  house  has  labelled  its  products  "  Specific  medication." 
Nature  alone  offers  the  true  specific  for  bacterial  infections  in  the  de- 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  197 

need  not  be  diagnosticated  in  order  that  the  remedy  might  cure 
him.  In  the  Hght  of  Autotherapy,  the  despised  drop  of  mucus 
becomes  a  priceless  heritage  bequeathed  by  Provident  Nature 
to  cure  the  patient. 

The  writer  would  emphasize  that  the  speed,  certainty  and 
comparative  freedom  from  danger  with  which  nearly  all  acute 
infections  of  the  respiratory  tract  may  be  treated  successfully 
by  means  of  Autotherapy,  make  it  imperative  on  the  part  of 
the  physicians  to  treat  the  patient  (not  the  disease)  auto- 
therapeutically,  if  he  would  cure  the  patient  in  the  quickest 
and  best  manner  possible,  and  prevent  or  forestall  the  sequelae 
in  the  shape  of  chronic  inflammation  or  a  migration  of  the 
microorganisms  or  their  toxins  to  distant  parts  of  the  body 
with  resultant  pain,  increased  temperature,  and  further 
sequelae  in  the  shape  of  indurations,  fibrous  tissue  changes, 
adhesion,  pain,  etc. 

Since  acute  inflammations  of  the  respiratory  tract  or  the 
so-called  "  common  colds "  are  cured  quickly  by  means  of 
Autotherapy,  many  of  the  long  category  of  chronic  inflam- 
mations resulting,  are  forestalled.  This  triumph  of  magnitude 
and  importance  opens  up  therapeutic  possibilities  that  are  ap- 
parently endless. 

The  writer  has  employed  the  filtrate  of  sputum  successfully 
in  some  conditions  he  could  not  diagnose,  for  example 

A  patient  with  a  catarrhal  condition  of  the  respiratory  tract 
was  unable  to  walk  in  a  straight  line  but  constantly  veered  to 
the  right.  A  few  injections  of  the  filtrate  of  sputum  quickly 
cleared  up  the  whole  condition.     But  few  physicians  other 

fensive  substances  elaborated  in  the  patient's  body  in  response  to  the 
action  of  the  patient's  own  toxic  substances. 

Other  than  the  natural  autotherapeutic  remedy,  the  Autogalacto- 
therapeutic  remedy  is  probably  more  often  a  true  specific  than  any 
other  remedial  agent  we  have  at  our  command  in  fighting  dis- 
ease. 


19^  AUTOTHERAPY 

than  a  brain  specialist  are  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  brain 
to  diagnose  accurately  the  part  affected.  A  diagnosis  is  usually 
unnecessary  for  the  patient  to  respond  to  the  treatment.  It 
makes  little  difference  what  portion  of  the  anatomy  is  affected 
for  the  injected  toxin  of  the  causative  microorganisms  by 
tropism  has  elective  specific  action  on  the  focus  of  infection 
or  on  the  tissues  of  the  body  on  which  they  proliferated.  As 
the  homing  pigeon  flies  straight  to  its  cote,  so  the  toxins  de- 
veloped within  the  patient's  body  act  promptly  on  the  infected 
part  by  natural  elective  affinity. 

How  often  we  have  seen  patients  suffering  from  a  toxic 
disease  supposedly  foreign  to  the  lungs,  die  from  pneumonia 
that  quickly  developed.  We  are  all  familiar  with  this  occur- 
rence. The  question  that  engages  attention  in  this  connection 
is,  had  the  bronchial  condition  been  recognized  early  and  the 
filtrate  from  sputum  containing  the  specific  microorganisms 
been  therapeutically  employed,  might  not  the  life  of  such 
patient  been  spared? 

In  acute  appendicitis,  cholecystitis,  acute  peritonitis,  etc., 
and  other  infections,  inquire  closely  regarding  the  sputum. 
If  it  can  be  obtained  and  therapeutically  employed,  it  will  often 
forestall  a  major  operation. 

This  work  was  never  mentioned  in  medical  literature  till 
the  writer  proved  it  experimentally  on  human  beings  in  the 
clinic.  It  is  only  a  question  of  bringing  it  properly  to  the 
attention  of  the  profession,  to  insure  for  it  a  wide  field  of 
usefulness. 

The  formula  given  below  will  often  have  to  be  altered  some- 
what to  suit  the  individual  needs  of  the  patient.  The  follow- 
ing technic  should  be  closely  followed :  Sputum,  i  drachm ;  dis- 
tilled water,  i  ounce;  temperature  98.6°  F.  Mix  in  a  two- 
ounce  bottle  with  glass  beads,  shake  well  and  allow  to  stand 
from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours.    Filter  through  a  Berkfeld 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  199 

filter.  Inject  the  bacteria- free  filtrate  into  the  loose  cellular 
tissues  over  the  biceps  muscle,  in  doses  suitable  to  the  needs 
of  the  patient  (the  average  dose  in  acute  conditions  in  the 
robust  adult  is  twenty  minims).  Give  no  further  injection 
until  the  patient  ceases  to  improve  under  the  preceding  dose. 
In  acute  cases  this  will  often  be  from  the  third  to  the  fifth 
day,  although  the  condition  of  the  patient  should  always  be 
the  guide  as  to  the  time  when  another  dose  is  needed.  In 
very  weak  patients,  and  in  very  chronic  cases,  proportionately 
less  should  be  given  and  the  intervals  between  doses  may  have 
to  be  materially  lengthened.  One  or  two  injections  three  to 
five  days  apart  will,  however,  usually  cure  an  acute  or  sub- 
acute respiratory  infection  quickly.  But  a  single  injection  is 
at  times  all  that  is  required. 

There  are  various  modifications  of  this  treatment  that  are  at 
times  useful,  but  the  therapeutic  value  of  none  of  these  has 
been  proved  to  be  greater  than  that  given  above.  For  example, 
the  writer  uses  the  following  method  in  treating  desperate 
cases  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  hurry  medication.  This 
method  is  used  also,  when  it  is  impossible  to  see  the  patient 
again.  It  is  useful  mainly  because  it  saves  time.  The  interval 
elapsing  between  the  time  of  obtaining  the  sputum  and  that  of 
giving  the  injection  may  be  materially  shortened  by  thoroughly 
grinding  a  drachm  of  sputum  in  a  mortar  with  powdered  glass, 
or  with  very  fine  sharp  clean  sand  previous  to  mixing  it  with 
water.  When  this  is  done  the  mixture  should  be  thoroughly 
agitated  in  a  bottle  of  distilled  water,  at  blood  temperature  for 
ten  minutes  or  more  to  dissolve  the  soluble  toxins.  When 
the  microorganisms  are  destroyed,  their  toxins  go  into  solution 
by  autolysis ;  the  fluid  is  then  filtered  through  a  Duncan  Auto- 
therapeutic  Apparatus,  and  twenty  minims  of  the  bacteria- free 
filtrate  are  injected  at  once.  This  technic  is  employed  only  in 
acute  infections. 


200  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  writer  has  found  it  impossible  to  make  the  toxin- 
complex  for  acute  bronchitis  too  toxic  by  following  the 
formula  and  precautions  given  above.  The  formula  is  well 
within  safe  limits.  It  is  not  dangerous  or  no  more  dangerous 
than  the  use  of  the  vaccines  or  tuberculines  now  in  daily  use. 

There  is  at  times  a  slight  chill  following  the  injection.  This 
is  the  apparent  systemic  reaction.  After  the  chill  in  acute  con- 
ditions it  is  often  unnecessary  to  give  another  injection,  but 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  the  writer  gives  several  others 
at  intervals  of  from  seven  to  ten  days.  Always  make  suffi- 
cient filtrate  to  last  till  the  patient  has  arrived  at  the  stage 
of  convalescence  where  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  more  mucus, 
or  when  the  patient  has  been  almost  cured  (j^  ounce  of  fil- 
trate is  amply  sufficient).  The  writer  usually  employs  the 
same  filtrate  for  subsequent  injections.  Do  not  allow  the  mix- 
ture of  sputum  and  water  to  stand  longer  than  twenty-four 
hours  before  filtering,  for  it  then  becomes  exceedingly  toxic 
and  less  therapeutic.    Twelve  hours  in  summer. 

The  following  cases  have  been  selected  from  thousands  that 
have  been  treated  in  a  similar  manner  that  might  have  been 
reported.  They  illustrate  not  only  the  technic  but  the  results 
that  may  be  confidently  expected  to  follow  when  the  technic 
is  properly  employed. 

While  the  writer  has  had  wide  experience  in  treating  rheu- 
matism by  means  of  Autotherapy,  he  feels  that  the  time  has 
not  yet  arrived  to  incorporate  the  technic  in  book  form.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis. 

Recognizing  the  sad  experience  physicians  had  at  first  with 
Koch's  tuberculine,  the  writer  believes  that  the  best  inter- 
ests of  both  the  patient  and  the  physician  will  be  conserved 
by  making  progress  slowly  in  this  direction.  These  infections 
require  a  special  knowledge  of  individualizing  the  patient, 
namely,  to  regulate  the  dosage  and  the  interval  between  doses 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  201 

with  accuracy  and  to  treat  the  patient  according  to  his  needs. 
Volumes  possibly,  could  be  written  with  profit  on  these  in- 
fections treated  autotherapeutically.  This  being  so,  it  has  been 
deemed  wisest  to  withhold,  at  present,  a  discussion  of  these 
two  infections. 

Acute  Bronchitis 

Dr.  Alexander  Vertes,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  reports  the 
following  case: 

Case  115.  "  Patient,  male,  age  9  years,  had  acute  bronchitis 
for  ten  days.  There  was  a  dull  pain  in  the  chest  under  the 
sternum  and  a  painful  cough  that  came  in  spasms.  One  in- 
jection relieved  the  pain  in  twelve  hours.  He  made  a  rapid 
and  uneventful  recovery." 

Dr.  Vertes  states  further: 

"  I  am  using  Autotherapy  when  it  is  applicable,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  other  medication,  because  it  gives  me  results  that 
no  other  medication  has  ever  given.  An  acute  congestive 
bronchitis  usually  has  a  '  crisis'  or  resolution  set  in  within 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  first  injection." 

Dr.  C.  E.  Fenner,  of  Sacramento,  California,  reports  the 
following  case : 

Case  116.  Patient,  Mrs.  M.  A.  P.,  age  67  years,  on  Novem- 
ber 24th  took  to  bed  with  a  hard  cold  and  congestion  of  the 
lungs.  I  prepared  the  autogenous  toxin-complex  from  the 
sputum  and  gave  the  following  doses :  November  27th,  I  gave 
her  a  hypodermic  injection  in  the  left  arm,  and  there  was  a 
light  local  and  constitutional  reaction.  About  twenty-four 
hours  after  the  first  dose  the  cough  stopped  and  the  excre- 
tions were  much  lessened.  By  the  third  day  all  excretions  had 
stopped.  I,  however,  gave  two  more  doses  on  the  2nd  and 
loth  of  December,  for  good  measure.  There  has  been  no  re- 
turn of  symptoms,  although  she  is  subject  to  chronic  catarrh 
of  the  throat  and  bowels.     She  claimed  that  this  treatment 


202  AUTOTHERAPY       '" 

stopped  a  noise  in  the  ears  that  had  been  present  constantly 
for  many  years. 

The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 

Case  117.  Patient,  female,  age  36  years,  an  actress;  applied 
for  treatment  at  7  p.m.,  suffering  with  severe  bronchitis  and 
laryngitis.  She  did  not  feel  able  to  leave  the  city  with  her 
company  that  night.  Temperature  loi  °  F.,  pulse  1 10.  A 
drachm  of  mucus  was  obtained  and  prepared  in  the  usual  man- 
ner. Of  this  she  was  given  a  subcutaneous  injection  of  two 
c.c,  her  bowels  were  opened  with  calomel  and  she  was  in- 
structed to  go  with  the  troupe,  with  the  assurance  that  within 
twenty-four  hours  the  troublesome  cough  would  stop.  A  most 
grateful  letter  received  two  weeks  later  stated  that  the  prophecy 
had  been  fulfilled,  as  she  had  lost  no  time,  and  believed  what 
the  writer  believed,  that  what  usually  would  have  been  a  most 
troublesome  condition,  was  cured  promptly. 

Case  118.  Patient,  Dr.  Bailey,  Surgeon  of  United  States 
Navy,  attached  to  the  Training  Ship,  "  Granite  State,"  called 
the  writer  at  3  a.m.,  believing  he  was  developing  pneumonia. 
I  found  him  with  a  sharp  stabbing  pain  in  the  mid-sternal 
region — he  was  suffering  with  a  severe  acute  bronchitis ;  tem- 
perature 100°  F.,  pulse  96.  A  drachm  of  mucus  was  obtained 
and  prepared  in  the  usual  manner,  and  two  c.c.  of  the  filtrate 
were  injected  subcutaneously  at  eight  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing (this  was  Friday).  Sunday  evening  at  eight  o'clock  he 
walked  into  the  office  stating  the  cough  he  had  had  for  two 
weeks  previous  had  entirely  disappeared  and  that  he  had  fully 
recovered. 

Case  119.  Patient,  male,  age  32  years,  applied  for  treat- 
ment suffering  with  acute  bronchitis,  with  a  deep-sounding  and 
exhausting  cough.  He  was  given  an  injection  of  2  c.c.  of  the 
filtrate  of  sputum  prepared  in  the  usual  manner,  and  that  night 
coughed  but  little.  In  forty-eight  hours  the  cough  had  entirely 
disappeared.     There  was  no  return. 

Case  120.  Patient,  male,  age  28  years,  professional  violinist, 
took  a  heavy  cold  at  rehearsal  and  believed  he  was  coming 
down  with  a  sick  spell  that  would  necessitate  his  giving  up 
work.  Forty-eight  hours  after  the  injection,  the  patient 
claimed  he  had  entirely  recovered.    He  was  so  pleased  that  he 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  203 

sent  for  his  brother  in  Boston  to  come  to  New  York  to  be 
treated  for  a  most  rebelHous  bronchitis  of  four  weeks'  dura- 
tion. His  brother  was  treated  in  a  similar  manner,  but  his 
cough  returned  in  three  days.  On  the  fourth  day  he  received 
another  injection  which  completely  cured  the  case. 

Case  121.  Patient,  male,  age  29,  applied  for  treatment  June 
15,  191 1.  He  had  been  suffering  with  a  severe  bronchitis  for  a 
month.  The  principal  and  most  troublesome  symptom  was  that 
of  a  weight  over  the  middle  of  the  sternum  accompanied  with  a 
slight  cough.  There  was  very  little  expectoration  and  that 
was  difficult  to  raise.  His  appetite  was  impaired  and  he  was 
in  such  a  weakened  condition  he  was  compelled  to  give  up 
his  business.  He  failed  to  improve  when  treated  with  the 
usual  remedies  for  this  condition.  He  was  treated  autothera- 
peutically  and  within  twenty-four  hours  was  distinctly  better 
and  made  an  uneventful  recovery. 

Case  122.     The  writer  reports  the  following  case: 

Patient,  male,  age  60  years,  fell  from  a  ladder  breaking  his 
left  arm  and  straining  the  ligaments  of  the  left  groin ;  he  was 
also  severely  bruised  over  the  shoulder,  head  and  legs.  The 
abdomen  was  tender  and  the  pain  from  an  old  inguinal  hernia 
was  intensified.  A  bronchitis  he  had  previously  became  aggra- 
vated, and  within  forty-eight  hours  he  complained  principally 
of  severe  pain  incident  to  coughing.  A  drachm  of  sputum 
was  placed  in  an  ounce  of  water  and  allowed  to  stand  for 
twenty-four  hours  with  occasional  agitation,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  it  was  filtered  and  twenty  minims  of  the  filtrate 
were  injected  into  the  loose  cellular  tissues  over  the  biceps  mus- 
cle. In  two  hours  he  felt  better  and  stopped  complaining.  In 
twenty-four  hours  his  coughing  ceased  entirely. 

Case  123.  Patient,  Mrs.  Daly,  age  32,  applied  for  treat- 
ment suffering  with  severe  laryngitis  and  bronchitis ;  she  de- 
scribed her  throat  as  being  raw  as  a  beefsteak  and  her  chest 
was  sore  from  frequent  coughing.  The  condition  had  been 
present  two  weeks.  The  usual  household  remedies  proving  in- 
effectual, she  sought  the  services  of  the  writer  for  the  reason 
that  he  had  cured  her  nephew  quickly  of  articular  rheumatism. 
She  received  an  injection  of  the  filtrate  of  the  mucus  on  the 
loth  of  January.  When  seen  on  the  15th,  she  stated  that  the 
relief  of  her  sore  throat  was  prompt  but  she  still  spat  up  large 


204  AUTOTHERAPY 

quantities  of  mucus.  Her  chest  was  no  longer  sore.  On  this 
date  she  received  another  injection  oi  1^2  c.c.  On  the  25th, 
in  response  to  her  telephone  call,  she  said  she  had  been  well 
for  a  week. 

Case  124.  Patient,  Mrs.  Lord,  age  30,  called  at  10.30  in 
the  evening,  suffering  from  severe  bronchitis  caused  by  expos- 
ure and  wet  feet  two  days  previous.  While  passing  the  office 
on  business  she  became  so  weak  that  it  was  necessary  for  her 
to  have  assistance,  for  fear  of  falling  in  the  street.  She  called 
on  the  nearest  doctor  who  happened  to  be  the  writer,  who 
found  her  rapidly  approaching  pneumonia.  He  obtained  a 
drachm  of  mucus  while  in  the  office,  ground  it  in  a  mortar  with 
fine  powdered  glass,  which  was  mixed  with  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water,  at  blood  temperature  and  thoroughly  shaken  for 
about  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  at  the  end  of  which  time  it  was 
filtered  and  2^  c.c.  injected  subcutaneously.  When  seen  a 
year  later  she  claimed  she  had  never  seen  a  severe  cold  broken 
up  so  quickly.  Within  forty-eight  hours  she  claims  she  was 
well. 

Case  125.  Patient,  Mrs.  D.,  age  35,  during  the  severe  cold 
weather  when  the  government  prohibited  the  free  use  of  coal, 
contracted  a  severe  laryngitis  and  bronchitis.  She  had  cough- 
ing spells  that  would  last  up  to  ten  minutes,  that  racked  her 
whole  system.  Her  tonsils  were  inflamed  as  were  the  lymphatic 
glands  running  down  both  sides  of  the  neck.  Temperature 
102.5°  F.  She  was  alarmed  at  her  condition,  fearing  she 
would  die.  Two  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  of  the  sputum  were  in- 
jected, which  relieved  her  promptly.  In  five  days'  time  this 
was  repeated ;  whereupon  the  symptoms  were  all  promptly 
relieved  for  two  weeks,  when  the  cough  and  sore  throat  again 
returned.  She  was  given  another  similar  injection  of  2  c.c. 
which  promptly  cured  her. 

Case  126.  Patient,  male,  age  65  years,  suffering  with  severe 
bronchitis  of  five  days'  standing.  The  usual  treatment  of  hot 
baths,  purging,  etc.,  failed  to  give  relief.  Two  c.c.  of  the  fil- 
trate of  sputum  were  injected  subcutaneously  and  ten  hours 
afterwards  he  had  a  chill  lasting  for  upwards  of  half  an  hour. 
After  this  his  symptoms  were  relieved.  In  forty-eight  hours 
he  was  practically  well  and  there  has  been  no  return. 

Case  127.    Patient,  female,  age  18  years,  got  her  feet  wet 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  205 

going  to  business.  When  seen  two  days  later  she  was  a  fit 
subject  for  the  hospital,  under  ordinary  conditions.  Her  eyes 
were  sufifused  and  the  phlegm  from  her  nose  excoriated  the 
mucous  membrane  until  the  nose  itself  became  swollen  and 
painful.  The  posterior  nares,  larynx  and  tonsils  were  in- 
flamed. A  drachm  of  mucus  from  the  nose  was  prepared  and 
filtered  in  the  usual  manner  and  13^  c.c.  were  injected  sub- 
cutaneously.  Relief  was  immediate  and  she  was  able  to  con- 
tinue work  the  next  day.  In  five  days  another  injection  was 
given  which  completely  cured  the  case. 

Case  128.  Dr.  P.  T.  Geyerman  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 
Hospital,  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota,  reports  the  following 
two  cases : 

Female,  age  49,  American.  Chronic  cough  and  expectora- 
tion for  the  past  seven  years.  General  condition  fairly  good. 
Many  coarse  and  fine  rales  over  both  lungs.  No  rise  of  tem- 
perature. Pulse  80.  Examination  shows  many  organisms, 
mostly  diplococci.  No  culture  made.  A  filtrate  of  the  sputum 
was  made  in  the  usual  way.  Injections  were  made  at  five-day 
intervals  with  complete  cure  in  four  weeks.  This  case  was 
treated  in  February,  1913,  with  no  recurrence  (1916). 

Case  129.  Patient,  female,  age  19,  chronic  cough  for  the 
past  four  years  following  an  attack  of  measles.  No  loss  of 
weight.  Fairly  well  nourished  but  has  not  been  strong  since 
present  illness  began.  Tuberculosis  was  suspected  but  no 
tubercle  bacilli  could  be  found  in  the  sputum.  X-ray  plates  of 
the  chest  were  negative  except  for  some  enlargements  of  the 
bronchial  glands.  She  had  been  operated  on  for  chronic  ap- 
pendicitis a  year  previous  with  complete  recovery.  She  was 
put  on  usual  medical  treatment  and  was  given  autogenous 
vaccines  for  a  period  of  four  months  with  some  improvement, 
though  she  still  coughed  considerably  with  very  little  or  no 
diminution  in  the  amount  of  sputum.  At  this  time  a  filtrate 
was  made  in  the  usual  way  and  administered  at  five-day  inter- 
vals. She  began  to  improve  after  the  second  injection  and  was 
completely  well  at  the  end  of  eight  weeks.  No  recurrence  of 
the  trouble  after  eighteen  months. 

Case  130.  Dr.  C.  E.  Fenner,  of  Sacramento,  California, 
reports  the  following  case : 

Patient,  A.  M.  F,,  female,  age  27  years,  nurse.     She  was 


2o6  AUTOTHERAPY 

subject  to  sore  throat  and  colds  in  the  chest.  Had  a  cold  and 
sore  throat  on  nearly  every  case  she  nursed.  I  collected  the 
expectoration  from  an  acute  exacerbation  and  prepared  the 
autogenous  toxin-complex  from  it.  I  gave  her  from  five  to 
fifteen  minims  injections  on  November  28,  December  8,  19,  and 
30,  and  on  January  14.  Since  the  treatment  v^^as  begun  she  has 
been  working  steadily  and  has  had  no  further  sign  of  cold  or 
sore  throat.  She  says  that  to  her  surprise  and  gratification,  her 
digestion  was  greatly  improved. 

Case(^3i)  The  following  letter  appearing  in  the  New  York 
Medical  Journal,  November  i,  1913,  is  self-explanatory: 
"  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

2915  So.  Vernon  Ave. 

October  13,  1913. 

"To  the  Editor: — In  the  December  14  and  21,  19 12,  issues 
of  the  New  York  Medical  Journal,  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan 
published  an  article  under  the  title  of  '  Autotherapy.'  In  this 
article  he  stated  that  he  was  able  to  cure  acute  and  subacute 
bronchitis  within  twenty-four  hours,  and  a  chronic  bronchitis 
within  two  weeks.  I  determined  to  try  it  on  myself  as  a 
patient.  My  father  had  bronchitis  for  forty  years,  and  I  have 
had  it  for  many  years.  I  am  now  54  years  old.  The  chief 
symptom  in  my  case  is  a  severe  coughing  spell  almost  every 
night;  these  usually  lasted  from  a  half-hour  to  forty-five  min- 
utes. I  mixed  one  part  of  sputum  with  five  parts  of  water 
and  allowed  it  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours,  with  occasional 
agitation,  and  then  filtered  it  through  a  Berk f eld  Filter.  I 
had  Dr.  Carl  Johnson,  of  Los  Angeles,  give  me  an  injection 
in  the  lumbar  region.  I  coughed  none  that  night.  The  second 
night  I  coughed  five  minutes.  On  the  third  day  I  had  another 
injection.  I  have  had  four  injections  altogether,  each  four 
days  apart.  My  bronchitis  has  been  cured  or  abated  for  I 
now  cough  not  at  all.  The  only  symptom  I  have  at  present, 
if  it  can  be  called  a  symptom,  is  that  on  rare  occasions  there  is 
a  slight  effort  at  coughing,  wholly  unUke  my  previous  cough. 
I  can  truly  say  it  has  been  '  magical.' 

"  I  do  not  know  Dr.  Duncan ;  I  never  heard  of  him  before ; 
I  read  his  article  and  I  merely  write  that  others  who  are  simi- 
larly afflicted,  may  know  of  this  grand  treatment.  I  shall  try 
Autotherapy  out  in  all  its  various  phases."    L.  C.  Toney,  M.D. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  207 

Facts  speak  louder  than  words,  and  could  those  unfamiliar 
with  Autotherapy  witness  the  results  the  writer  is  obtaining 
day  after  day,  and  then  compare  these  results  with  those  ob- 
tained by  the  usual  methods  of  treating  infections  of  the 
respiratory  tract,  they  would  be  astonished  and  incorporate  it 
immediately  in  their  armamentarium.  The  prompt  control  of 
the  cough  of  acute  bronchitis  by  means  of  Autotherapy  is  one 
of  the  most  certain  things  in  medicine. 

Time  and  space  alone  prevent  reporting  many  similar  cases 
both  from  my  own  records  and  from  those  of  hundreds  of 
physicians.  The  cases  given  should  not  be  considered  "  picked 
cases,"  for  they  are  taken  more  or  less  at  random  from  my 
case  books.  Some  physicians  report  they  have  treated  success- 
fully as  high  as  six  hundred  infections  of  the  respiratory  tract 
by  this  means ;  and  many  report  having  used  Autotherapy  suc- 
cessfully for  several  years.  A  number  of  physicians  have 
from  two  to  six  filters  in  their  office  in  more  or  less  constant 
use.  All  who  have  employed  Autotherapy  judiciously  are 
enthusiastic  over  the  results. 

Case  132.  Dr.  R.  W.  Rose,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  reports  the 
following  two  cases : 

Patient,  male,  age  69  years,  subject  to  bronchitis,  the  pres- 
ent attack  severe  and  long  lasting.  Former  attacks  were  so 
troublesome  that  he  was  obliged  to  seek  a  warmer  climate  in 
order  to  obtain  reUef.  On  December  14,  191 5,  I  collected  some 
sputum  from  which  I  prepared  the**  toxin-complexf^  He  was 
given  an  injection  of  twenty  minims.  After  the  third  injec- 
tion had  been  given  he  was  restored  to  health.  The  treat- 
ment lasted  ten  days. 

Case  133.  Female,  age  53  years,  father  died  of  throat  trou- 
ble, two  sisters  died  of  tuberculosis.  Until  18  years  of  age 
she  was  afflicted  with  enlarged  tonsils,  which  were  enucleated ; 
takes  cold  easily,  which  leaves  her  with  a  chronic  cough  difficult 
to  get  rid  of.  At  the  age  of  45  she  received  a  fright  causing 
suppression  of  menstrual  function.     The  shock  produced  a 


2o8  AUTOTHERAPY 

complete  cessation  from  which  time  she  has  suffered  from 
chronic  bronchitis  which  no  medicine  could  benefit.  Various 
examinations  of  the  sputum  proved  negative.  She  was  treated 
according  to  Dr.  Duncan's  method  of  Autotherapy,  from  April 
4  to  November  8,  1916,  clinical  cure  following. 

Case  134.  Patient,  male,  age  32,  robust  and  powerfully 
built;  had  never  had  a  physician  attend  him  except  for  chil- 
dren's diseases.  Four  weeks  before  applying  for  treatment  he 
obtained  a  position  in  a  plant  that  manufactured  nitric  and 
sulphuric  acid.  He  states  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  work  at 
this  position  more  than  a  few  months  on  account  of  the  dam- 
aging effect  of  the  fumes  from  the  acids  have  upon  the  respira- 
tory tract.  When  first  seen  by  the  writer  he  had  a  severe 
laryngitis  and  bronchitis  owing  to  the  irritating  effect  of  the 
fumes  he  inhaled  following  his  vocation.  The  obvious  treat- 
ment would  have  been  to  remove  the  cause,  that  is  to  insist 
that  he  change  his  position ;  as  he  had  been  idle  for  some 
months  previously  and  the  wages  were  high,  he  did  not  care  to 
do  this.  He  was  treated  with  the  filtrate  of  his  sputum  in  the 
usual  manner.  Three  injections,  four  days  apart,  cured  the 
case.  He  worked  for  four  weeks  longer  before  giving  up  his 
position. 

It  appears  from  these  and  similar  cases  that  a  bronchitis 
or  coughing  spell  following  an  operation  may  often  be  bene- 
fited or  cured  quickly  by  this  simple  treatment.  There  are 
normally  myriads  of  pathogenic  microorganisms  in  the  lungs. 
When  the  vitality  of  the  patient  is  lowered  for  any  reason,  as 
after  an  operation,  or  where  there  is  irritation  in  the  lungs 
due  to  the  anaesthesia,  or  other  cause,  these  microorganisms 
tend  to  proliferate,  and  a  true  bronchitis  or  infection  of  the 
lungs  tends  to  develop.  This  Autotherapy  tends  to  cure 
quickly. 

Case  135.  Dr.  C.  L.  Moore,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  President 
of  the  Grace  Hospital  Medical  Board;  Chief  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  Dispensary,  Lecturer  of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of 
Medicine  and  Physical  Diagnosis,  reports  the  following  case: 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  209 

Patient,  M.  S.,  schoolgirl,  age  16  years.  Never  robust.  Family- 
history  negative.  Whooping-cough  at  four  and  measles  at 
eight.  Good  recovery.  Tonsils  and  adenoids  removed  two 
years  ago.  Department  of  Health  diagnosis,  sputum  negative. 
Physical  examination :  Poorly  nourished ;  cervical  glands  en- 
larged on  the  left  side;  temperature  99°  F. ;  pulse  104;  respi- 
ration 32  ;  blood  pressure  100 ;  dry  rales.  Treatment :  Hypo- 
dermic of  filtered  sputum.  I  gave  her  four  injections  between 
January  22,  1914,  and  March  26th.  At  this  writing  the  patient 
is  in  better  health  than  in  five  years.  This  case  had  bryonia 
tincture,  drop  doses,  three  times  a  day  from  the  5th  to  the  i8th 
of  March. 

Continuing,  Dr.  Moore  states : 

"  I  consider  Autotherapy  the  most  satisfactory  therapeutic 
agent  with  which  I  am  familiar.  I  recently  read  a  paper  on 
the  subject  of  Autotherapy  before  the  Physicians'  Hospital 
Association.  I  am  using  Autotherapy  extensively  in  my  prac- 
tice and  have  been  successful  in  practically  every  case  that  has 
been  treated  according  to  your  teachings." 

Case  136.  Dr.  J.  L.  Barge,  Newman,  Ga.,  reports  the  fol- 
lowing two  cases : 

Patient,  Mrs.  F.  W.,  age  30  years,  three  children.  Is  frail 
and  thin.  Had  an  ugly  cough  for  several  years.  On  February 
10,  191 3,  she  had  a  severe  attack  of  bronchitis  and  on  the  17th, 
there  was  no  improvement.  On  this  date  I  administered  ten 
minims  of  the  filtrate  of  sputum  according  to  the  Duncan  Auto- 
therapeutic  method.  February  19,  191 3,  the  bronchial  symp- 
toms had  subsided.  On  the  20th  of  February,  no  cough 
and  health  much  improved.  January  14,  1914,  general  health 
still  good,  no  cough. 

Case  137.  Patient,  J.  T.  A.,  male,  age  35  years.  Severe 
cough  and  expectoration  of  several  months'  standing.  Cough 
so  troublesome  he  could  not  sleep  at  night.  This  debilitated 
him  to  such  an  extent  he  was  unable  to  work.  April  6,  1913, 
gave  him  twelve  minims  of  the  filtrate.  April  12,  1913,  gave 
him  fifteen  minims.  He  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  take  fur- 
ther treatment,  although  he  still  coughed.    At  this  time  he  went 


2IO  AUTOTHERAPY 

to  work  and  has  been  working  ever  since.  October  22,  1913, 
cough  somewhat  troublesome  on  retiring  at  night  and  on  wak- 
ing in  the  morning.  I  gave  four  more  injections  about  ten 
days  apart.  The  patient  at  this  time  was  well  and  hearty  and 
has  so  remained. 

Case  138.  Dr.  J.  Wilford  Allen,  Professor  of  Medicine, 
New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  and  Flower  Hos- 
pital, President  of  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the 
County  of  New  York,  reported  the  following  case  before  the 
Committee  appointed  by  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of 
the  County  of  New  York  to  investigate  Autotherapy,  in  1914: 

Patient,  female,  came  to  him  from  the  hands  of  two  other 
physicians,  suflFering  with  chronic  cough  and  bronchitis.  She 
spat  up  a  pint  of  mucus  daily.  After  unsuccessfully  employing 
every  means  at  his  command  to  alleviate  her  condition.  Dr. 
Allen  applied  to  the  writer  over  the  'phone  asking  if  Auto- 
therapy offered  anything  that  would  help  her.  After  receiving 
instructions,  he  filtered  the  mucus  without  dilution,  through 
a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus,  and  injected  2  c.c.  of 
the  bacteria-free  immunizing  filtrate  subcutaneously.  To  his 
utmost  surprise  the  patient  slept  well  the  following  night  with- 
out being  troubled  with  the  cough — something  she  had  not  done 
for  many  months  previously.  A  few  more  injections  several 
days  apart  completely  cured  the  case. 

Case  139.    Dr.  August  K.  Detwiler,  Omaha,  Neb.,  states: 

"  I  take  great  pleasure  in  reporting  four  cases  of  old  chronic 
bronchitis  of  from  eight  to  twelve  years'  standing  that  have 
made  good  recoveries  under  Autotherapy.  I  reported  these 
and  many  other  cases  in  a  paper  before  the  Nicholas  Senn 
Medical  Society  of  Omaha.  I  assure  you  I  prefer  your  un- 
modified toxin-complex  to  Wright's  autogenous  vaccines — 
these  latter  surely  do  not  meet  all  of  the  indications." 

A  patient  suflFering  with  acute  or  chronic  respiratory  infec- 
tions may  often  be  materially  benefited  if  the  filtrate  from 
sputum  is  given  in  small  doses  repeatedly  by  the  mouth.  This 
treatment  is  not  as  positive  in  its  action  as  injecting  the  fil- 
trate in  the  manner  described  but  that  it  does  cure  in  a  certain 
percentage  of  cases  is  a  fact  that  must  be  acknowledged. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  211 

The  writer  seldom  employs  this  method  of  treatment  except 
in  patients  who  are  suffering  with  an  excessively  virulent 
type  of  infection,  and  in  some  chronic  diseases,  because  he 
believes  it  is  not  as  reliable  as  injecting  the  filtrate  subcuta- 
neously.  Buccal  immunization,  however,  is  reliable  in  local 
infections  in  no  way  connected  with  the  alimentary  tract  or 
respiratory  system. 


Tonsilitis 

The  writer  has  cured  quickly  many  patients  suffering  with 
tonsilitis  by  means  of  Autotherapy,  The  results  have  been  so 
uniformly  positive  that  he  believes  it  little  short  of  a  crime  not 
to  treat  these  patients  autotherapeutically.  He  uses  this  strong 
language  with  the  full  knowledge  that  exceptions  might  be 
taken  to  it  by  those  who  are  unfamiliar  with  the  application 
of  Autotherapy  in  acute  tonsilitis,  but  when  we  pause  to 
realize  the  possible  sequel,  namely,  rheumatism  and  heart  dis- 
ease, nephritis,  etc.,  and  then  the  fact  that  Autotherapy  usually 
cures  acute  tonsilitis  quickly  and  puts  an  end  to  the  vicious 
cycle  that  so  often  follows  this  acute  infection,  he  will  pos- 
sibly be  pardoned  for  these  assertions.  The  writer  has  treated 
every  case  of  acute  tonsilitis  that  came  to  him  in  the  past  six 
years  successfully,  by  means  of  Autotherapy.  Many  other 
physicians  report  having  done  the  same  thing. 

Tonsilitis  should  be  treated  early  if  the  best  results  are  to 
be  obtained.  Even  if  quinsy  supervenes  the  infecting  micro- 
organisms can  be  obtained  in  virulent  form  either  from  mucus 
from  the  tonsils  or  the  pus  from  the  lanced  peritonsillar  tis- 
sue. In  a  number  of  cases  where  rheumatic  pains,  and  pains 
in  the  heart  occurred  within  twenty- four  hours  after  the 
throat  became  sore,  the  destructive  process  has  been  halted 
promptly,  and  the  process  of  repair  instituted  in  its  place, 


212  AUTOTHERAPY 

often  within  a  few  hours  after  the  first  injection  of  the  filtrate 
from  sputum.  It  is  especially  important  that  young  people 
and  children  should  be  treated  autotherapeutically,  for  this  is 
the  class  of  patients  in  which  the  disease  too  often  quickly 
leaves  in  its  trail  a  damaged  heart  or  kidneys,  etc.  In  young 
people  it  is  often  necessary  to  obtain  the  infecting  micro- 
organisms by  swabbing  the  tonsils  several  times  with  small 
pledgets  of  cotton.  These  are  placed  in  distilled  water  and 
the  mixture  allowed  to  stand  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours 
at  room  temperature,  with  occasional  agitation,  the  dilution 
being  then  passed  through  the  filter. 

Case  140.  Dr.  R.  W.  Rose,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  reports  the 
following  case : 

Patient,  female,  age  28  years,  has  been  subject  to  tonsilitis. 
Physicians  advised  her  to  have  the  tonsils  removed  which  she 
refused  to  do.  July  i,  1916,  she  was  referred  to  me.  Exami- 
nation revealed  the  fact  that  both  tonsils  were  enlarged.  She 
had  an  acute  pharyngitis  and  laryngitis  that  was  very  painful; 
I  learned  also,  that  her  menstrual  function  was  complicated 
with  a  discharge  before  and  after  her  periods  and  also  with  a 
very  troublesome  vaginitis.  I  treated  her  with  a  toxin  pre- 
pared from  the  sputum,  and  later  a  toxin  prepared  from  vaginal 
secretion,  under  which  treatment  she  made  an  uneventful  re- 
covery. At  this  writing,  one  year  later  she  remains  perfectly 
well. 

Case  141.  Dr.  R.  L.  Rierson,  of  Dixon,  Cal.,  reports  the 
following  case : 

Patient,  F.  C.  Tonsilitis.  Autotherapy.  One  dose  cured. 
I  have  had  no  failures  when  the  infection  is  treated  early; 
and  I  have  treated  many  cases. 

Acute  and  Chronic  Laryngitis 

Case  142.    The  writer  reports  the  following  case : 

Patient,  female,  age  23  years,  schoolteacher,  had  suflfered 

with  a  catarrhal  condition  of  the  nose  and  throat  since  she  was 

eight  years  old,  when  she  had  scarlet  fever.    She  had  running 

ears  for  several  years  afterwards.     In  recent  years  she  had 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  213 

been  subject  to  recurrent  bronchitis.  She  would  scarcely  get 
over  one  attack  before  she  would  come  down  with  another. 
The  present  attack  came  on  September  21,  1913.  When  first 
seen  on  the  28th,  she  had  a  deep  cough  which  caused  great 
pain  under  the  sternum.  She  did  not  have  to  give  up  her 
school  duties,  but  attended  to  them  with  great  difficulty.  She 
had  coughed  practically  all  night  for  the  past  week.  On  Sep- 
tember 30th,  she  was  given  an  injection  of  the  autogenous 
toxin-complex  made  from  the  sputum.  The  pain  in  the  chest 
left  within  twenty-four  hours.  She  coughed  none  after  the  in- 
jection. On  October  6th  there  was  a  return  of  the  pain  in  the 
chest  and  a  slight  cough,  but  she  could  scarcely  raise  enough 
sputum  from  which  to  prepare  the  toxin-complex.  On  October 
7th,  she  was  given  another  injection.  This  cleared  up  the 
whole  condition  quickly.  She  has  had  no  recurrence;  now 
five  years. 

Pharyngitis 

Case  143.  Dr.  George  W.  Mackenzie,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
reports  the  following  case : 

Patient,  Dr.  R.  I.,  age  40  years,  came  to  me  January  18, 
1917,  having  had  a  cold  in  his  chest  for  six  months,  associated 
with  heavy  coughing — sometimes  dry  and  other  times  loose. 
During  the  last  month  he  had  had  asthmatic  attacks  nightly — 
there  has  been  more  or  less  of  a  catarrhal  condition  for  the  last 
two  years,  and  a  hemorrhage  previous  to  his  coming  to  me 
which  appeared  to  the  patient  to  indicate  that  there  was  pos- 
sible tuberculosis  infection.  The  patient  was  referred  to  me 
because  it  was  thought  an  ethmoid  might  be  a  predisposing 
factor  in  the  asthma.  Examination  of  the  nose  revealed  an 
S-formed  deviation  of  the  septum,  mucous  membrane  mod- 
erately turgescent,  but  no  gross  evidence  of  sinus  disease. 
Examination  of  the  throat  showed  a  secondary  catarrhal 
pharyngitis  and  relatively  small  tonsils  containing  no  deposits. 
The  patient  was  given  an  autotherapeutic  injection  on  the  left 
arm,  and  at  the  same  time  a  specimen  of  the  sputum  was  sent 
to  the  Philadelphia  Clinical  Laboratory,  the  report  of  which 
was  that  the  sputum  contained  a  few  short  chains  of  strepto- 
cocci, a  few  gram-positive  diplococci;  pus  present  in  abun- 


214  AUTOTHERAPY 

dance ;  tubercle  bacilli  not  found.  The  patient  was  seen  again 
on  January  i8th,  when  he  reported  that  on  the  night  of  the 
injection  he  had  marked  reaction  and  felt  as  though  he  was 
developing  the  grippe.  The  next  day  (the  19th)  he  felt  much 
better;  however,  during  the  night  he  had  considerable  asthma. 
An  autotherapeutic  injection  was  not  repeated.  On  January 
23rd,  the  patient  reported  that  he  was  feeling  markedly  better 
and  had  had  only  two  coughing  spells  during  the  preceding 
night,  lasting  about  fifteen  minutes.  The  temperature  had 
been  normal,  patient's  report.  A  second  injection  was  given, 
and  no  other  treatment.  On  January  27th,  the  patient  re- 
ported that  he  was  decidedly  better  and  had  very  little  coughing 
at  night.  At  this  time  no  injection  was  given.  On  January 
29th,  the  patient  says  he  is  getting  along  very  nicely,  the  cough 
is  less  and  he  feels  better  generally ;  however,  he  claims  to 
have  felt  tired  for  about  three  days  after  the  last  injection. 
An  autotherapeutic  injection  was  repeated.  From  this  time  on 
the  patient  reported  continual  improvement  until  between  the 
middle  of  February  and  the  middle  of  March  he  had  a  slight 
return  of  asthma,  when  he  was  given  another  injection ;  and 
from  this  time  on  there  have  been  no  symptoms  of  cough  or 
asthma.  On  April  nth,  the  patient  reported  to  me  with  a  so- 
called  "  pink  eye."  An  examination  of  the  secretion  from  the 
left  eye  revealed,  according  to  the  report  from  the  Philadelphia 
Clinical  Laboratory,  an  infection  from  the  Morax-Axenfeld 
bacillus.  This,  as  is  generally  recognized,  is  a  very  obstinate 
infection.  The  patient  was  given  an  injection  prepared  from 
the  secretion  of  the  eye  on  April  nth,  reporting  again  on  the 
14th,  when  the  eye  did  not  seem  to  be  any  better.  On  the  17th, 
the  infection  was  less  intense  and  the  patient  was  given  a  sec- 
ond injection.  On  April  21st  the  eye  looked  and  felt  much 
better, — no  apparent  reaction  after  the  last  injection.  On  this 
visit  he  was  given  a  third  injection  and  he  reported  on  the 
24th,  that  there  had  been  no  reaction  and  the  eye  was  decidedly 
better.  He  wai,  given  a  fourth  injection  on  this  visit.  On  the 
28th,  the  patient  felt  that  he  had  a  very  pronounced  reaction 
following  the  last  injection,  which  was  followed  the  next  day 
with  very  remarked  improvement  in  every  way;  the  eye 
condition  had  practically  cleared  up. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  215 

Chronic  Rhinitis 

Case  144.  *  Dr.  C.  F.  Fenner  says:  "After  carefully  read- 
ing and  studying  the  principles  involved  in  Autotherapy,  I 
decided  to  make  a  thorough  trial  of  it  upon  myself  as  a  pa- 
tient." 

I  had  been  troubled  for  many  years  with  chronic  rhinitis 
which  had  progressed  and  spread  in  spite  of  many  approved 
methods  of  treatment  that  had  been  instituted,  including  re- 
moval of  tonsils,  adenoids,  etc.  The  condition  had  become 
systemic,  extending  to  the  stomach  and  intestines,  and  was 
accompanied  by  a  chronic  catarrhal  inflammation  of  the  mid- 
dle ear  with  impairment  of  hearing.  In  September,  1913,  I 
purchased  a  complete  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  and 
started  treatment.  Without  going  into  details  as  to  the  dosage, 
repetition  of  dose,  reactions,  etc.,  I  will  state  that  the  results 
were  quick  and  decisive,  far  greater  than  anything  I  had  ever 
tried  before.  The  inflammation  in  the  head  cleared  up  within 
three  weeks.  The  hearing  improved  75  per  cent,  by  tests  and 
has  remained  so.  The  slight  impairment  of  hearing  still  re- 
maining is  due  to  the  thickening  or  structural  tissue  changes. 
It  would  be  folly  to  expect  any  medical  agent  to  change  this 
condition  except  by  improving  the  circulation  through  the 
parts,  and  that  is  very  slowly  but  surely  being  done.  But 
what  surprised  me  most  of  all  was  the  effect  this  treatment  had 
on  the  bowels.  The  improvement  of  my  obstinate  constipa- 
tion was  wonderful.  This  gave  me  the  idea  of  using  it  for 
patients  with  catarrh  of  the  bowels  and  bile  ducts." 

Dr.  Fenner  says :  "  My  experience  with  Autotherapy  in 
respiratory  infections,  especially  bronchitis,  has  been  most 
pleasing  to  both  patients  and  physicians.  It  is  a  rare  case 
indeed  that  does  not  yield  quickly  to  this  treatment.  From 
two  to  four  doses  usually  stops  the  cough.  I  employ  an  in- 
cubator to  keep  the  pabulum  at  blood  temperature  for  from 
six  to  twenty-four  hours  before  filtration  and  therefore  steril- 
ization.   If  I  am  to  keep  the  filtrate  for  further  use  I  make  the 

*  Dr.  Carl  Fenner,  Sacramento,  Cal.,  in  a  Symposium  under  the  title 
of  "  Autotherapy,"  Western  Medical  Times,  October,  1916. 


2i6  AUTOTHERAPY 

filtrate  with  one-half  per  cent,  phenol  as  a  preserving  agent, 
and  I  never  give  more  than  five  minims  as  the  initial  dose. 

"  After  four  and  one-half  years'  experience  in  the  use  of 
Autotherapy,  I  have  not  had  a  case  that  showed  any  form  of 
injury  from  the  treatment ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  had  almost 
without  exception,  good  results.  Many  who  were  formerly 
subject  to  repeated  colds  are  now  practically  immune  to  such 
attacks  and  this  last  statement  applies  to  my  own  case." 

Case  145.  The  writer  reports  the  following  case : 
Patient,  male,  age  52  years,  had  a  catarrhal  condition  of  the 
nose  and  throat  for  the  past  two  years.  During  the  past  six 
months  he  had  difficulty  in  concentrating  his  mind  on  his  busi- 
ness. \\'as  drowsy  and  apathetic  and  his  sexual  powers  were 
markedly  diminished.  He  came  for  treatment  for  his  mental 
condition.  It  was  then  that  the  catarrhal  condition,  above 
mentioned,  was  discovered.  He  did  not  complain  of  spitting 
mucus  in  the  morning.  This  was  learned  during  the  examina- 
tion. He  was  given  an  injection  of  the  autogenous  toxin- 
complex,  prepared  from  the  sputum.  After  the  third  injec- 
tion he  had  a  chill,  and  all  of  his  symptoms  disappeared  and 
have  not  reappeared  (in  over  two  years).  No  other  medica- 
tion was  given. 

Ozena 
Case  146.  The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 
Patient,  Mrs.  C.  E.  G.,  age  26,  applied  for  treatment  suf- 
fering with  dull  frontal  headaches  in  the  region  of  the  antrum 
of  Highmore  on  the  right  side.  History  of  the  case  shows 
that  since  she  was  a  very  young  girl  she  had  had  an  infection 
of  the  posterior  nares — the  chief  symptom  of  which  consisted 
in  the  formation  periodically  of  large  plugs  of  mucus  in  the 
form  of  a  crust,  completely  covering  the  whole  nasopharynx ; 
these  plugs  would  be  blown  from  the  nose  once  or  twice  daily, 
and  were  accompanied  by  a  foul  smelling  breath.  She  has  had 
at  the  present  writing,  ten  injections,  five  days  apart ;  the  odor 
disappeared   after   the   second   injection,   at   which   time  the 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  217 

pain  ceased  and  has  not  returned.  There  has  been  no  return 
now  in  over  a  year. 

Case  147.  Patient,  male,  34  years,  lawyer,  applied  for  treat- 
ment suffering  with  an  exceedingly  foul  breath  and  some 
deafness,  A  drachm  of  mucus  was  placed  in  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water  with  about  fifty  small  beads — this  was  thoroughly 
agitated;  after  which  time  it  was  passed  through  a  Duncan 
Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  and  i,  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  injected 
subcutaneously.  The  patient's  bowels  were  opened  with  calo- 
mel in  divided  doses.  Calomel  has  elective  affinity  for  the 
eustachian  tubes  and  will  frequently  relieve  an  acute  catarrhal 
deafness.  At  the  end  of  the  week  the  odor  had  entirely  dis- 
appeared, when  he  received  another  injection.  This  patient 
had  two  weekly  injections  for  eight  weeks  after  which  there 
was  no  longer  any  mucus  present.  He  was  discharged  as 
cured.  There  has  been  no  return  now  (five  years).  The 
diagnosis  of  this  patient  could  be  made  by  any  one  six  feet 
away  with  his  eyes  closed  from  the  terrible  offensiveness  of 
his  breath. 

Case  148.  Dr.  R.  S.  Rierson,  of  Oakland,  California,  re- 
ports the  following  case: 

Patient,  G.  D.  V.,  age  34  years,  cement  worker,  suffering 
with  ozena  and  chronic  bronchitis  of  years'  standing.  So  foul 
was  his  breath  that  he  would  be  avoided  by  people  talking  to 
him.  There  was  also  a  pterygium  on  the  left  eye.  He  was 
treated  with  sputum  according  to  the  Duncan  Autotherapeutic 
method,  April  25,  1913,  and  received  three  other  injections 
four  days  apart,  with  a  cure  of  the  ozena  and  bronchitis. 
The  pterygium  was  diminished  two  thirds  in  size.  After  this 
an  injection  was  given  occasionally.  The  patient  was  satisfied 
with  the  result. 

Dr.  Rierson  says,  in  a  letter  dated  January  11,  1914:  "In 
all  I  have  treated  more  than  one  hundred  and  ten  cases  with 
Autotherapy — boils,  rheumatism,  etc.,  with  results  that  have 
been  a  revelation  to  me  and  to  my  patients.  Eight  cases 
out  of  ten  so  treated  were  cured.  This  included  those  who 
would  not  allow  me  to  finish  the  treatment.  I  believe  Auto- 
therapy has  a  great  future  and  that  it  will  relieve  more  suf- 


2i8  AUTOTHERAPY 

faring  than  anything  else  that  has  come  before  the  medical 
profession." 

Nasal  Accessory  Sinuses 

Case  149.    The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 
Mastoiditis  and  Sinusitis 

Patient,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  age  32  years,  applied  for  treatment 
October  10,  1916.  Family  history  negative;  patient  had  always 
been  in  robust  health  and  had  not  consulted  a  physician  for 
fourteen  years.  Six  weeks  previous  to  her  first  visit  at  the 
office  she  complained  of  severe  pain  in  the  left  mastoid  region. 
She  had  lost  in  weight  during  this  period  and  had  a  tempera- 
ture of  101°  F.  The  pains  had  been  unbearable  for  the  past 
few  days  and  she  explained  that  every  beat  of  the  heart  was 
like  a  blow  from  a  hammer.  The  history  of  the  case,  as  far 
as  the  present  trouble  is  concerned,  dated  to  the  previous 
February,  when  the  patient  had  an  acute  attack  of  la  grippe. 
There  had  been  a  catarrhal  condition  of  the  nasal  region  since 
that  time.  The  patient  was  given  a  sterile  bottle  with  instruc- 
tions to  collect  at  least  a  drachm  of  mucus  from  the  nose  and 
throat.  This  was  prepared  in  the  usual  manner  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  patient  was  injected  with  i  c.c.  of  the  filtrate 
subcutaneously  over  the  biceps  muscle.  The  pain  was  in- 
creased for  about  two  hours  after  the  injection,  after  which 
time  it  disappeared  as  if  by  the  action  of  morphine.  That 
night  the  patient  slept  better  than  she  had  for  weeks.  She 
reported  daily  for  observation,  and  at  the  end  of  four  days 
there  was  a  slight  return  of  the  pain.  The  patient  received 
another  injection  of  i^  c.c.  There  was  some  return  of  the 
intense  pain  immediately  following  the  injection,  but  this 
passed  oflf  within  an  hour.  She  had  eight  injections  four 
days  apart.  She  was  discharged  cured.  There  has  been  no 
return  of  the  pain  up  to  the  present  time.  The  inferior  tur- 
binates were  removed  as  they  closed  the  air  passage. 

Case  150.  Patient,  female,  age  28  years,  a  sister  of  Dr. 
Reeves  Turner,  of  New  York  City,  presented  herself  for 
treatment,  suffering  with  an  infection  of  both  frontal  sinuses, 
both  antrums  of  Highmore  and  mastoid  cells.    She  had  been 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  219 

troubled  for  about  three  weeks  and  had  been  under  the  care  of 
a  celebrated  nose  and  throat  specialist  in  New  York  City. 
A  few  days  before  applying  to  the  writer  for  treatment,  the 
specialist  had  treated  her  by  endeavoring  to  empty  the  sinuses 
by  means  of  a  suction.  For  some  reason  this  treatment 
affected  the  heart  and  she  became  cyanosed  and  unconscious. 
Her  family  was  notified,  Dr.  Turner  sent  for,  and  together 
they  worked  over  her  for  twelve  hours  before  she  was  able  to 
leave  the  office  in  an  ambulance.  She  was  treated  with  the 
filtrate  of  mucus  from  the  naso-pharynx  by  the  usual  auto- 
therapeutic  method,  every  five  days,  for  about  six  weeks. 
She  then  came  every  two  weeks  for  three  more  treatments; 
then,  believing  herself  well,  she  discontinued  treatment.  There 
has  been  no  return  now  nine  months. 

Dr.  Lee  W.  Tindale,  Olean,  N.  Y.,  reports  the  following 
case: 

Case  151.  Patient,  baby,  age  twenty-eight  months.  On 
December  21,  1915,  I  operated  for  mastoiditis  (right)  which 
came  as  a  complication  during  the  first  week  of  scarlet  fever 
and  bronchial  pneumonia.  The  wound  was  dirty  and  my 
suture  sloughed  out.  During  the  dressing  there  was  a  free 
flow  of  pus  both  from  the  wound  and  the  external  canal.  On 
January  3,  I  took  5  drops  of  pus  from  the  wound  and  mixed 
it  with  6  ounces  of  water  and  gave  it  in  four  divided  doses  an 
hour  apart.  The  following  morning  the  wound  had  improved 
very  materially  in  appearance  and  the  pus  was  much  dimin- 
ished.    Since  then  there  has  been  steady  improvement. 

The  writer  makes  a  careful  rhinoscopic  and  oral  examina- 
tion of  all  cases  treated  by  him.  At  times  the  patient  will 
state  that  there  is  no  mucus  in  the  nose  or  throat  when  the 
writer  sees  it  dropping  from  the  naso-pharynx.  It  is  im- 
perative that  the  air  passages  are  free. 

Case  152.  Patient,  male,  age  32  years,  applied  for  treat- 
ment November  i,  1914,  suffering  from  mastoiditis  on  the  left 
side.  He  was  operated  during  the  preceding  April  for  mastoid 
infection  on  the  right  side.  He  lay  in  the  hospital  for  three 
months,  and  at  one  time  the  physicians  despaired  of  his  life. 


220  AUTOTHERAPY 

When  the  pain  began  on  his  left  side  about  October  20th,  he 
went  to  the  same  surgeon,  who  told  him  he  had  an  infection 
on  his  left  side  and  that  he  would  have  to  be  operated  on  this 
side  also.  He  was  unwilling  to  submit  to  an  operation  again, 
believing  he  would  not  survive.  He  then  applied  to  the  writer 
for  autotherapeutic  treatment.  On  November  3rd  he  received 
his  first  injection  of  the  filtrate  of  mucus  from  the  posterior 
nares.  He  reported  at  the  next  visit  what  several  patients 
had  previously  reported  when  treated  in  the  acute  stage  of 
this  infection,  namely,  that  a  dull  peculiar  sensation  crept 
up  quickly  from  the  point  of  injection  to  the  site  of  the  infec- 
tion in  the  mastoid  region  and  there  caused  a  terrible  pain 
lasting  for  several  hours.  At  the  end  of  this  time  all  pain 
suddenly  left.  There  had  been  no  return.  He  received  two 
other  injections  on  the  8th  and  13th,  respectively.  The  writer 
would  have  preferred  to  give  this  patient  three  or  four  other 
injections,  but  he  moved  to  the  country  and  was  not  seen  for 
several  weeks.  He  claims  to  be  well  and  there  has  been  no 
return  of  the  pain  up  to  the  present  time  (May  9,  1918). 

Case  153.  Dr.  R.  W.  Rose,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  reports  the 
following  case : 

Patient,  male,  age  60  years,  had  been  suffering  with  chronic 
rhinitis  with  sinus  involvement  for  several  years.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-four  he  had  sixteen  hemorrhages  from  the  lungs. 
He  was  apparently  cured  by  the  internal  administration  of 
fresh  bullock's  blood  taken  at  the  slaughter  house  twice  a 
week  for  six  months.  An  attack  of  la  grippe  February,  1913, 
left  him  with  the  above  mentioned  trouble.  Medical  treat- 
ment for  three  years  gave  him  no  relief.  I  prepared  the 
Duncan  unmodified  toxins  from  the  nasal  discharge  and  gave 
him  twenty  minims  hypodermatically.  It  was  necessary  to 
follow  this  course  of  treatment  for  six  months.  He  is  now 
practically  well. 

Case  154.    The  writer  reports  the  following  case: 

Patient,  female,  age  19  years,  had  been  troubled  all  her  life 
with  a  catarrhal  condition  of  her  nose  and  throat.  She  had 
always  been  in  poor  health  and  the  history  of  the  case  de- 
veloped the  fact  that  she  had  had  three  operations  on  the 
nose.  When  seen  by  the  writer  she  was  pale,  anemic  and 
weighed  eighty-two  pounds,  and  she  suffered  excruciatingly 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  221 

from  otitis  media.  The  surgeon  at  one  of  the  Brooklyn  nose 
and  throat  hospitals  told  her  it  was  necessary  that  she  undergo 
an  operation  on  the  mastoid.  The  writer  having  previously 
cured  her  sister  of  an  offensive  ozena  and  infection  of  the 
frontal  sinuses,  she  was  referred  to  him  for  treatment.  The 
tympanum  was  pale  and  bulging.  It  was  lanced  and  the  dis- 
charge that  seemed  to  be  under  pressure  was  caught  on 
cotton  as  it  spurted  from  the  ear.  This  cotton  was  placed  in 
an  ounce  of  distilled  water  and  allowed  to  stand,  at  room 
temperature,  for  twelve  hours,  after  which  time  it  was  filtered 
in  the  usual  manner  and  i  c.c.  injected  subcutaneously.  She 
was  instructed  to  cleanse  her  ear  thrice  daily  with  peroxide  of 
hydrogen,  then  with  25  per  cent,  argyrol,  and  finally  to  place  in 
the  ear  a  few  drops  of  olive  oil.  These  were  placed  in  the 
ear  as  hot  as  could  be  borne.  There  was  absolutely  no  im- 
provement ;  if  anything,  the  patient  became  temporarily  worse. 
While  the  patient  was  able  to  obtain  a  few  hours'  sleep  previ- 
ous to  the  operation,  she  was  unable  to  obtain  any  sleep  fol- 
lowing this  treatment.  It  was  then  realized  that  the  injection 
had  been  too  large.  The  local  treatment  was  continued  and  the 
patient  instructed  to  take  a  hot  bath  and  colonic  irrigation  of 
warm  water,  daily.  At  the  end  of  five  days  there  was  some 
improvement.  At  this  time  the  writer  made  the  loth  dilu- 
tion of  the  original  filtrate.  This  was  done  by  placing  10 
sterile  bottles  and  corks  in  a  line.  Each  bottle,  excepting 
the  last  one,  contained  one  ounce  of  water  and  this  one  con- 
tained alcohol.  In  the  first  bottle  was  placed  5  drops  of  the 
filtrate — succussed  thoroughly.  This  was  the  first  dilution. 
Five  drops  of  the  first  dilution  was  then  placed  in  bottle  No.  2 
and  then  succussed.  This  was  dilution  No.  2.  This  process 
was  continued  until  the  tenth  bottle  was  reached.  The  tenth 
dilution  being  mixed  with  alcohol  would  keep.  She  was  given 
this  loth  c.c.  dilution  with  instructions  to  take  ten  drops  three 
times  a  day.  Following  this,  improvement  was  marked  and 
continuous.  The  patient  gained  one  pound  a  week  for  three 
weeks.  At  the  end  of  the  third  week  the  patient  was  dis- 
charged, cured. 

Case  155.  Dr.  Francis  E.  Park,  of  Stoneham,  Mass.,  re- 
ports the  following  case  of  sinus  involvement.  "  Abscess  of 
the  frontal  sinus  with  marked  inflammation;  it  appeared  that 


222  AUTOTHERAPY 

the  cavity  would  have  to  be  opened.  I  made  a  Duncan  toxin- 
complex  from  the  pus  and  injected  twenty  minims  of  the  fil- 
trate hypodermatically,  with  marked  relief.  I  gave  two  other 
injections  but  the  case  was  cured  by  the  time  the  last  was 
given."  Dr.  Park  says  further,  "  You  have  given  the  medical 
profession  another  weapon  of  great  power  against  disease." 

Case  156.  Patient,  Mrs.  C.  O.  R.,  age  30,  had  been  troubled 
with  severe  headaches  over  the  region  of  the  frontal  sinus  and 
the  antrum  of  Highmore,  for  about  three  weeks.  When  seen 
she  was  in  bed  with  a  temperature  of  103°  F.,  and  complained 
of  chills  every  few  hours,  for  two  days.  She  had  taken  aspirin 
and  many  other  headache  powders  with  no  relief.  She  was 
given  a  hypodermic  injection  of  the  filtrate  of  mucus  from 
the  nose  and  throat,  and  in  four  hours  experienced  a  slight 
chill ;  in  six  hours  she  went  to  sleep  and  slept  for  twelve  hours 
— the  first  good  rest  she  had  had  since  the  trouble  began.  The 
pains  returned  slightly  in  three  days ;  she  received  another  in- 
jection of  13^  c.c.  She  then  had  eight  injections,  four  days 
apart,  and  there  has  been  no  return  of  the  pain  now,  for  two 
years. 

Chronic  Otitis  Media 

Case  157.  Dr.  C.  E.  Fenner,  Sacramento,  Cal.,  reports  the 
following  case : 

Patient,  male,  G.  E.  F.,  age  30  years,  had  an  old  chronic 
catarrhal  otitis  media,  coupled  with  nasal  and  pharyngeal 
catarrh.  The  hearing  gradually  became  dull  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1910,  and  very  much  worse  from  December,  191 1,  to 
November,  1912.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  could  not  hear 
his  watch  tick  at  all.  Average  tone  conversation  could  not  be 
heard.  In  October  I  received  your  autotherapeutic  apparatus, 
and  prepared  the  Duncan  toxin-complex  from  the  excretions 
from  the  nose  and  ear  and  gave  him  injections  on  the  follow- 
ing dates:  November  i,  4,  10,  18  and  29,  December  10,  15, 
and  27,  and  on  January  2,  9,  17  and  30.  At  this  later  date 
I  had  difficulty  in  obtaining  enough  excretion  to  prepare  the 
filtrate.  The  most  severe  reaction  was  after  the  injection 
given  November  29.  Cutaneous  reaction  was  seven  by  three 
inches.  Temperature  102°  F.  Immediately  after  this  injec- 
tion, the  patient  could  hear  a  small  clock  ticking  in  the  office. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  223 

He  then  steadily  improved,  and  can  now  hear  preaching.  The 
discharge  from  the  ear  stopped  after  the  fifth  injection,  I 
consider  this  case  most  remarkable  as  nearly  everything  known 
to  medical  science  had  been  done  for  the  patient  previously 
without  relief. 

Dr.  Fenner  adds :  "  After  two  and  one-half  years'  experi- 
ence in  the  use  of  Autotherapy,  in  many  varieties  of  infections, 
I  have  not  had  a  case  that  showed  any  form  of  injury  from 
the  treatment.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  had  almost  without 
exception,  good  results.  I  have  had  far  better  success  with 
Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapeutic  toxin-complex  than  with  any  of 
the  stock  vaccines  now  on  the  market,  or  with  the  auto- 
genous vaccines.  My  success  in  checking  acute  inflammations 
and  aborting  operations  has  established  confidence  in  its  use. 
Autotherapy  is  practically  harmless  when  judiciously  employed 
and  the  results  are  most  pleasing  to  both  the  patients  and 
myself." 

Case  158.  Dr.  Bardes,  Newman,  Georgia,  reports  the  fol- 
lowing case : 

Patient,  female,  age  4  years,  had  suppurative  otitis  media 
for  three  years  and  ozena  for  quite  a  while,  all  very  offen- 
sive to  the  smell.  February  25,  191 3,  I  made  the  Duncan 
toxin-complex  from  cotton  saturated  with  the  excretions  from 
the  nose  and  ears.  I  gave  five  minims  hypodermatically.  The 
suppuration  lessened  and  the  improvement  was  marked  and 
progressive  for  about  eight  weeks.  It  then  appeared  to  come 
to  a  standstill.  The  suppuration  had  ceased  from  the  nose  and 
one  ear  and  the  odor  was  very  slight.  May  15,  I  gave  five 
minims  of  fresh  unmodified  toxin-complex  in  the  same  manner. 
The  patient  went  right  along  to  recovery  and  is  well  and  "  as 
fat  as  a  pig." 

Case  159.      Dr.  C.  E.  Fenner  reports  the  following  case: 

Baby  born  March  9,  1913,  age  nine  months,  always  weak  and 
sickly,  never  played  or  laughed,  appetite  poor,  digestion  poor, 
frequent  bowel  disorders,  cried  constantly,  chronic  bronchitis. 


224  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  mother  was  a  neurotic,  and  had  been  under  treatment  for 
various  disorders.  On  December  8,  1913,  I  was  called  to  see 
the  child.  I  found  him  suffering  with  a  severe  cold  on  both 
lungs  and  head.  The  ears  had  been  running  pus  and  serum 
for  several  weeks,  but  my  summons  was  on  account  of  a  large 
abscess  in  the  right  parotid  gland  about  the  size  of  a  small 
orange.  Right  cervical  glands  enlarged  with  very  hard  scaly 
strumous  areas  over  the  right  ear  and  occipital  region.  There 
were  also  seven  large  ulcerous  spots  scattered  over  the  face. 
I  instructed  the  mother  to  catch  on  cotton  and  save  all  the 
secretions  from  the  nose,  ear  and  throat  during  the  next  fifteen 
hours.  Just  twenty-one  hours  afterwards  I  gave  the  first  dose 
in  the  right  arm  of  minims  five.  There  was  a  strong  local  and 
fair  systemic  reaction,  and  in  seventy-two  hours  after  the  first 
dose,  the  excretion  from  the  ears  had  stopped.  The  swelling 
of  the  parotid  gland  was  almost  normal  in  size  and  only  one 
cervical  gland  was  enlarged  and  the  child  coughed  but  little. 
In  five  days  the  whole  condition  had  cleared  up  except  some 
rales  in  the  bronchial  tubes,  and  shadow  spots  under  the  skin 
where  the  ulcers  had  been.  The  mother  said  a  week  later,  the 
child  was  beginning  to  play  and  laugh  with  the  other  children 
of  the  family,  something  he  had  never  attempted  to  do  before. 
I  gave  two  more  doses  of  five  minims  each  to  be  certain  of  no 
return  of  the  condition,  January  14th,  the  father  said,  "  Doc- 
tor, that  medicine  you  gave  my  baby  certainly  did  wonders  for 
him.  I  can  almost  see  him  grow,  and  he  is  lively  and  playful, 
he  is  getting  to  be  a  hearty  child." 

Case  160.  The  writer  reports  the  following  cases: 
Patient,  Ida  R.,  age  13  years,  was  referred  by  the  principal 
of  her  school  with  the  statement  she  was  backward  in  her 
studies  and  was  troubled  with  running  ears  that  dated  from 
scarlet  fever,  five  years  previous.  The  odor  from  the  ears 
was  extremely  offensive  which  caused  her  to  be  avoided  by  the 
other  pupils.  About  twenty  pledgets  of  cotton  saturated  with 
excretions  were  placed  in  an  ounce  bottle  of  distilled  water  and 
allowed  to  stand  twelve  hours  with  occasional  agitation ;  after 
which  time  it  was  filtered  through  a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic 
Apparatus,  and  one  c.c.  injected  subcutaneously.  She  had 
five  of  these  injections,  five  days  apart,  when  she  considered 
herself  well  and  discontinued  treatment.     The  discharge  had 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  225 

ceased  at  this  time  and  there  was  no  odor  present  and  she 
looked  and  felt  better  in  every  way.  About  four  months 
later  she  returned  in  much  the  same  condition  as  when  first 
seen.  The  toxin  from  the  first  treatment  was  given  i^  c.c. 
subcutaneously,  every  five  days.  After  six  treatments  she 
again  considered  herself  well  and  discontinued  treatment 
against  the  advice  of  the  writer,  who  has  not  seen  her  since. 

Case  161.  Patient,  male,  age  8  years,  has  been  suffering 
from  an  abscess  of  the  middle  ear.  Ear  drum  was  punctured 
by  specialist  who  informed  parents  that  unless  an  operation 
was  performed  he  would  not  get  well  of  the  discharge.  I  ob- 
tained some  pus  from  the  ear  and  administered  it  by  the  mouth, 
giving  four  doses  in  all.  He  improved  at  once.  In  two  weeks' 
time  the  discharge  ceased  and  he  has  had  no  further  trouble 
now  for  four  years. 

Case  162.  Dr.  Lewis  J.  Muthart,  Jermyn,  Pa.,  reports  the 
following : 

"  On  January  17,  1916,  case  of  otitis  media  with  profuse 
discharge  showing  many  staphylococci.  I  gave  the  usual  auto- 
therapeutic  treatment.  The  discharge  ceased  in  twelve  hours 
after  the  first  dose  of  the  unmodified  toxin-complex.  Five  days 
after  my  first  visit  the  condition  was  cured." 

Case  163.  Dr.  Wm.  T.  Jenkins,  former  Health  Officer  of 
the  Port  of  New  York,  reports  the  following  case  treated  by 
means  of  Autotherapy : 

"  Patient,  male,  age  9  years,  had  a  discharge  from  both  ears 
for  ten  days  following  an  exanthematous  discharge.  There 
was  also  an  involvement  of  the  scalp,  with  many  pustules, 
both  large  and  small.  I  collected  the  pus  from  the  ears  and 
from  the  scalp — about  6  drops — and  triturated  with  an  ounce 
of  sugar  of  milk,  and  of  this  I  gave  the  patient  about  10 
grains,  once  daily.  There  was  a  slight  increase  of  the  dis- 
charge after  the  first  day  or  two,  but  this  gradually  ceased 
and  the  patient  made  an  uneventful  recovery." 

The  author's  criticism  of  this  treatment  is  that  medica- 
tion should  have  been  stopped  after  the  second  dose,  for  this 
was  clearly  the  negative  phase,  and  the  beneficial  effect  of  these 
two  doses  should  have  been  allowed  to  continue  and  almost 


226  AUTOTHERAPY 

cease  before  another  dose  was  given.  There  is  danger  of 
doing  harm  when  the  treatment  is  given  after  the  patient  is 
made  temporarily  worse,  or  after  the  negative  phase  has  set 
in.  However,  the  dose  given  by  Dr.  Jenkins  was  so  small  in 
this  instance  the  patient  recovered. 

Deafness 

The  subject  of  deafness  is  so  often  intimately  associated 
with  catarrhal  conditions  of  the  naso-pharynx  and  naso- 
accessory  sinuses  that  it  is  said  the  majority  of  cases  of 
either  the  milder  or  more  pronounced  types  whether  acute  or 
chronic,  are  due  to  catarrhal  conditions  usually  in  the  faucial 
tonsils,  the  naso-pharynx  or  the  nasal  fossa.  In  the  correction 
of  deafness  our  efforts  are  directed  either  through  surgical  or 
medical  measures  to  correcting  the  catarrhal  condition. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  Autotherapy  will  not  correct 
conditions  where  there  is  a  mechanical  obstruction,  as  deflected 
nasal  septum,  or  bands  of  tissue  in  the  naso-pharynx,  etc. 
But  when  deafness  is  dependent  upon  a  catarrhal  condition 
alone,  either  in  the  tonsils,  naso-pharynx  or  the  cranial  sinuses 
Autotherapy  is  distinctly  indicated,  and  will  often  correct  the 
condition.  Autotherapy  will  often  clear  up  conditions  where 
an  operation  was  formerly  thought  to  be  demanded,  fore- 
stalling the  operation.  Where  Autotherapy  is  properly  em- 
ployed there  will  not  be  so  great  urgency  for  operation  on  the 
tonsils,  turbinates,  adenoids  or  polypi,  for  in  overcoming  the 
infections  by  means  of  Autotherapy  the  cause  of  common  deaf- 
ness will  often  be  removed.  For  this  reason  Autotherapy 
should  always  be  employed  before  surgical  operation  is  under- 
taken. 

When  the  patient  is  under  autotherapeutic  treatment  it  takes, 
at  times,  some  weeks  for  the  tonsils  to  assume  their  normal 
condition  or  for  the  enlarged  turbinates  to  recede  to  normal 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  227 

bounds.  Where  free  drainage  is  necessary  surgical  measures 
are  indicated,  but  as  stated  previously  by  the  proper  use  of 
Autotherapy,  many  conditions  that  were  formerly  supposed  to 
demand  surgery,  are  abated  and  operation  forestalled. 

In  otitis  media,  Autotherapy  should  always  be  employed 
for  since  Autotherapy  raises  the  opsonic  index  to  the  infecting 
microorganisms,  the  question  as  to  whether  it  should  be  per- 
mitted is  not  debatable. 

If  used  before  the  formation  of  pus  in  the  middle  ear  it  will 
often  render  paracentesis  tympani  unnecessary.  By  over- 
coming the  infection  more  accurate  results  are  obtained  in  the 
closure  of  drum  perforations ;  the  experience  of  well-known 
laryngologists  all  over  the  country,  particularly  in  Philadelphia 
and  New  York  City,  indicates  that  it  is  considered  by  them  that 
it  is  the  surgeon's  duty  to  employ  Autotherapy  for  many  con- 
ditions. When  the  focal  infection  is  eradicated  by  means  of 
Autotherapy,  whether  it  be  in  the  middle  ear,  or  those  germ 
breweries,  the  ethmoidal  sinuses,  or  elsewhere ;  many  con- 
ditions formerly  considered  disassociated  with  the  nasal  or 
buccal  accessory  tissues  or  sinuses,  are  cured  quickly  by  means 
of  Autotherapy,  namely,  as  appendicitis,  ulcer  of  the  stomach, 
cholecystitis,  nephritis,  typhoid  fever,  etc. 

Acute  and  Chronic  La  Grippe 

Case  164.  Dr.  B.  F.  Burroughs,  Plainwell,  Mich.,  reports  the 
following  case : 

"  Patient,  Mrs.  T.  N.,  had  an  influenzal  infection  of  both 
ears.  Rupture  occurred  on  the  fourth  day  after  the  attack. 
On  the  eighth  day  I  placed  some  of  the  discharge  from  the 
ears  in  about  two  ounces  of  water — let  it  stand  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  at  the  end  of  which  time  I  filtered  it  through  the 
Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  and  injected  twenty  minims 
of  the  filtrate  subcutaneously.  A  moderate  reaction  followed. 
In  five  days  I  repeated  the  process  which  was  followed  by 
a  complete  cessation  of  the  discharge  from  both  ears.     There 


228  AUTOTHERAPY 

was  some  sense  of  fullness  and  distention  in  the  ears  for  a  few 
days  after,  but  a  complete  recovery  followed.  I  have  been 
using  Autotherapy  in  my  practice  now  for  over  three  years 
with  great  satisfaction;  in  all  kinds  of  localized  infections 
almost  invariably  with  success." 

Case  165.  The  writer  reports  the  following  case : 
Patient,  Dr.  Warren  B.  Rush,  of  Lake  City,  Florida,  age 
64  years,  had  been  suffering  with  an  influenzal  infection  of 
the  larynx  since  1893.  During  this  interval  he  had  several 
acute  exacerbations  that  threatened  his  life  and  at  other  inter- 
vals he  was  unable  to  attend  to  his  practice.  The  infecting 
organism  was  diagnosed  microscopically  many  times  during 
this  period,  as  the  influenza  bacillus.  He  has  long  suffered  with 
pain  in  the  joints,  and  often  when  the  temperature  was  only 
50°  F.r  he  was  not  able  to  leave  the  house  on  account  of  suf- 
fering from  the  cold.  After  an  acute  exacerbation  during 
July,  1913,  he  came  to  New  York,  and  placed  himself  in  the 
hands  of  the  writer,  for  autotherapeutic  treatment.  The  fol- 
lowing report  is  in  the  words  of  the  doctor  himself :  "  On 
August  10,  1913,  I  went  to  New  York  City,  and  placed  myself 
under  the  care  of  Dr.  Duncan.  On  August  nth,  I  received  my 
first  injection  of  the  filtrate  from  the  sputum.  Between  this 
time  and  September  20,  1913,  I  received  five  other  injections, 
and  thanks  to  the  skillful  administration  of  his  autogenous 
toxins,  I  am  a  well  man  today,  September  25,  1913.  The 
microorganisms  in  the  sputum  grew  gradually  less  and  less 
after  each  injection.  After  the  fifth  none  could  be  found.  I 
made  these  microscopical  examinations  myself,  at  the  New 
York  Post-Graduate  Medical  College  and  Hospital  where  I 
had  gone  to  take  a  course  in  microscopy  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  learning  how  to  diagnose  my  infecting  organisms. 
The  pain  and  coldness  have  entirely  disappeared.  Since  be- 
ginning this  treatment  I  have  gained  ten  pounds  in  weight,  and 
feel  better  than  I  have  felt  in  years.  I  am  glad  to  give  Dr. 
Duncan  credit  for  this  grand  cure.  Autotherapy  has  done  for 
me  what  apparently  no  other  medication  could  do.  It  means 
that  my  usefulness  in  life  has  been  restored.  March  14,  1914, 
there  has  been  no  return." 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  229 

Hay  Fever  and  Asthma 

The  studies  of  Dunbar  seem  to  bring  forward  necessary 
proof  that  the  pollen  of  some  plants  or  weeds  is  often  the 
inciting  cause  of  hay  fever,  but  the  fact  that  asthma  often 
follows  and  that  the  mucosa  furnishes  a  rich  bacterial  flora, 
leads  to  the  belief  that  a  bacterial  infection  either  accom- 
panies or  follows  the  onset  of  the  disease.  That  Auto- 
therapy often  relieves  the  symptoms,  allowing  the  patient  to 
pass  through  the  acute  stage  with  little  discomfort,  is  no 
longer  doubted  by  many  competent  physicians  employing  that 
method.  It  must  be  conceded  that  the  application  of  Auto- 
therapy in  hay  fever  and  asthma  is  of  value, — just  how  much 
value  cannot  be  stated  at  present,  for  it  is  necessary  that  a 
very  much  larger  number  of  cases  be  treated  before  it  can 
occupy  a  definite  place  in  medicine;  for  certain  it  is  that  the 
course  of  this  infection  has  been  shortened  and  the  symptoms 
relieved  by  a  number  of  competent  physicians  working  inde- 
pendently in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

It  is  the  writer's  custom  to  operate  on  patients  suffering 
with  hay  fever  or  asthma  where  there  is  an  obstruction  of  the 
nasal  passage.  At  times  there  is  a  nerve  that  is  more  or  less 
exposed,  or  stretched  over  some  bony  prominence,  the  removal 
of  which  is  important  in  the  treatment  of  the  condition. 

Dr.  George  W.  Mackenzie,  an  eminent  eye,  ear,  nose  and 
throat  specialist  of  Philadelphia,  and  for  many  years  editor  of 
the  Journal  of  Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat  Diseases,  states  in 
an  Editorial  appearing  in  the  April,  1918,  issue  of  the  Journal 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  under  the  title  of, 
Autotherapy :  "  Is  It  Worth  a  Trial  ?  " 

"  Dr.  Duncan's  claims  in  the  opinion  of  conservative  people, 
border  on  the  extravagant  and  for  this  reason  his  method  of 
treatment  is  less  likely  to  receive  the  consideration  due  it  than 
if  more  moderate  claims  were  to  be  presented  by  some  one  else 


230  AUTOTHERAPY 

qualified  to  speak  on  the  subject.  It  is  for  this  reason,  cou- 
pled with  a  desire  to  see  the  method  thoroughly  tried  out, 
that  I  venture  an  opinion  after  an  experience  of  three  years 
with  this  form  of  treatment  covering  several  hundred  cases. 
I  am  not  as  yet  prepared  to  report  as  fully  as  I  hope  to  later. 
Like  many  others,  I  began  to  use  the  stock  vaccines  from  the 
very  beginning  when  they  were  first  put  on  the  market  (Sher- 
man's was  the  brand).  I  gave  them  what  I  considered  a 
fair  trial  at  considerable  cost  in  money.  I  failed  to  obtain  any 
beneficial  results  in  the  treatment  of  chronic  abscesses  of  the 
middle  ear  or  accessory  sinuses.  This  was  discouraging,  espe- 
cially in  view  of  the  claims  made  by  others  as  they  appear 
in  the  literature  and  quoted  in  the  book  published  by  Sherman 
&  Co.  In  the  acute  conditions  I  obtained  apparently  favor- 
able results  in  a  sufficient  number  of  cases  in  my  earliest  ex- 
periences to  feel  encouraged  and  therefore  gave  the  stock 
vaccines  a  more  thorough  trial  than  I  would  have,  had  these 
results  been  less  favorable.  In  the  long  run,  however,  my  con- 
clusions, based  on  what  I  considered  a  fair  trial,  were  that  the 
stock  vaccines,  if  they  accomplished  any  good  whatever,  were 
effective  in  the  acute  conditions  only ;  and  in  these  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  determine  positively  if  the  results  might  not  have  been 
quite  as  good  without  their  use.  In  the  chronic  conditions, 
where  I  placed  my  greatest  hope,  not  a  single  instance  can  be 
recalled  of  a  cure  that  could  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  stock 
vaccines.  My  results  indeed  were  so  out  of  keeping  with  those 
obtained  by  others  that  I  felt  some  hesitancy  in  venturing 
an  adverse  criticism,  but  nevertheless,  I  did  so  on  more  than 
one  occasion.  About  this  time  or  perhaps  a  little  earher, 
when  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  were  launching  phylacogen,  I  began 
trying  it  and  with  apparently  good  results  in  at  least  two  des- 
perate cases  of  streptococci  infection  of  the  meninges.  Both 
of  these  cases  were  reported.    However,  the  high  cost  of  the 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  231 

preparation  rather  deterred  me  from  using  it  to  any  great 
extent.  I  mention  my  experience  with  the  phylacogen,  as  I 
feel  it  is  the  nearest  kin  to  Autotherapy  and  leads  up  to 
what  I  may  have  to  say  later. 

"  Feeling,  like  others,  that  the  autogenous  vaccines  might  fit 
my  cases  better  than  the  stock  vaccines,  I  gave  them  a  trial 
wherever  circumstances  permitted,  probably  using  them  in  as 
large  percentage  of  cases  as  any  one  else  called  upon  to 
treat  pyogenic  infections  of  the  ear,  nose  and  throat.  My 
results  were  perhaps  a  trifle  better  than  they  were  with  stock 
vaccines,  in  the  acute  cases  apparently  favorable,  in  the  chronic 
cases  no  results.  The  failure  to  obtain  results  in  chronic  cases 
may  possibly  have  been  due  to  faulty  preparation  or  lack  of 
proper  technic,  but  I  fail  to  see  that  either  of  these  cases  was 
responsible  after  having  studied  carefully  the  teachings  and 
experiences  of  others.  Attention  to  drainage,  to  latent  con- 
stitutional disturbances,  obscure  foci  of  infection,  proper  feed- 
ing and  sanitation,  and  ignoring  vaccines  brought  far  more 
favorable  results  than  dependence  upon  vaccines  to  the  neglect 
of  the  other  factors. 

"  The  too  free  use  of  vaccines,  stock  or  autogenous,  is  the 
lazy  man's  way  of  practicing  medicine.  There  is  a  wealth  of 
material  in  the  study  of  a  single  case  which  is  lost  to  him  who 
puts  too  much  dependence  in  a  single  form  of  treatment,  no 
matter  what  that  treatment  may  be. 

"  When  Dr.  Duncan  began  to  publish  articles  on  the  subject 
of  Autotherapy,  I  became  interested  and  began  trying  it  out, 
at  first  with  rather  indifferent  results,  but  its  continued  trial 
began  to  bring  results  that  had  not  been  obtained  from  either 
the  stock  or  autogenous  vaccines.  The  most  favorable  results 
appeared  to  be  in  the  acute  conditions,  the  subacute  a  little 
less  favorable,  while  in  the  chronic  conditions,  there  was  some 
question  excepting  in  one  notable  case,  which  I  hope  to  report 


232  AUTOTHERAPY 

at  some  later  time.  In  that  case  there  can  be  not  the  least 
question  of  a  doubt.  What  the  results  might  have  been  with 
the  use  of  an  autogenous  vaccine,  there  is  no  way  of  deter- 
mining. 

"  The  favorable  results  obtained  thus  far  with  the  use  of 
Autotherapy,  stimulate  me  to  try  it  further.  I  can  recall 
several  odd  cases  in  which  the  results  were  little  short  of 
marvelous.  For  instance,  a  doctor  was  referred  to  me  by 
another  doctor  for  a  troublesome  asthma  which  had  lasted 
for  several  months.  The  patient  had  regular  nightly  attacks 
which  kept  him  sitting  up  and  awake  a  good  part  of  the  night 
and  as  a  result  his  general  health  was  considerably  below  par. 
After  the  first  injection  he  improved.  After  the  fourth 
injection  the  condition  cleared  up  entirely.  Many  cases  quite 
as  striking  could  be  cited,  which  I  will  not  take  the  time  to 
dwell  upon  just  now,  for  I  hope  to  make  a  complete  report 
at  a  later  date  and  include  in  it  some  cases  in  which  I 
have  also  been  disappointed  with  the  result.  When  making  a 
complete  report  I  hope  to  include  the  bacterial  findings,  com- 
plete physical  examination,  the  size  of  dose  and  the  frequency 
of  its  use,  besides  giving  my  reasons  for  believing  there  is  more 
virtue  in  the  filtrate  according  to  Dr.  Duncan's  method  of 
preparation  than  in  the  stock  or  autogenous  vaccine. 

"  I  wish  to  call  attention  briefly  to  the  use  of  the  filtrate 
in  the  treatment  of  hay  fever.  Hay  fever,  as  is  generally 
recognized,  is  due  to  the  irritating  influence  of  certain  pollen 
upon  the  mucous  membranes  of  those  susceptible.  My  pres- 
ent belief  based  upon  a  fair  experience  is  that  there  is  no 
method  of  treatment  which  compares  in  efficiency  to  Auto- 
therapy in  the  treatment  of  hay  fever.  I  have  witnessed  very 
prompt  results  (within  20  minutes)  in  a  few  cases  where  the 
secretion  in  the  nose  during  the  attack  was  filtered  and  diluted 
very  high  (equivalent  to  the  30X).     I  have  seen  pronounced 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  233 

aggravation  from  strong  doses  (ix).  When  using  the  higher 
dilutions  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  repeat  the  dose  at  closer 
intervals  (24,  36  or  48  hours).  With  the  stronger  doses 
occasionally  a  case  has  been  spoiled,  the  more  so  if  repeated 
at  too  close  intervals.  Autotherapy  for  hay  fever  is  useless  in 
any  case  before  the  patient  presents  any  symptoms,  for  until 
the  symptoms  appear  there  is  no  toxic  material  in  the  nose  to 
collect. 

"  I  believe  my  results  have  been  better  in  the  treatment  of 
ear,  nose  and  throat  infections  since  adopting  its  use  than 
previously.  In  some  few  cases  the  results  have  been  so  strik- 
ing that  I  do  not  hesitate  to  attribute  the  benefit  almost  if  not 
entirely  to  its  use.  In  many  cases,  though  I  do  not  credit 
Autotherapy  as  having  been  the  sole  agent,  at  least  it  has  con- 
tributed materially  to  the  results.  In  a  minority  of  cases  I 
fail  to  see  that  it  accomplished  anything.  I  feel  that  it  is 
worth  trying  out  by  those  who  have  not  yet  used  it,  with  one 
caution.  Do  not  begin  with  the  strongest  solution  and  do  not 
repeat  at  too  close  intervals." 

It  has  been  said  that  the  discoverer  of  a  new  method  of 
treatment  often  obtains  better  results  than  others  who  have 
employed  his  methods.  In  view  of  Dr.  Mackenzie's  indorse- 
ment in  the  preceding  editorial  and  that  of  many  other  men 
of  national  reputation  mentioned  in  these  pages,  this  criticism 
cannot  be  made  of  Autotherapy. 

To  those  who  insist  that  a  microscopical  examination  and 
diagnosis  be  made  of  the  infecting  microorganisms  of  every 
case  reported — and  that  a  cure  is  worthless  in  regard  to  the 
scientific  value  unless  this  is  done,  we  would  suggest  that  there 
is  no  unanimity  in  regard  to  the  etiological  microbial  factor 
in  hay  fever,  yet  Dr.  Mackenzie  states,  "  There  is  no  method 
of  treatment  which  compares  in  efficiency  to  Autotherapy  in 
the  treatment  of  hay  fever."     A  microscopical  diagnosis  of 


234  AUTOTHERAPY 

the  causative  microorganisms  in  hay  fever  is  considered  im- 
possible and  unnecessary  as  far  as  the  cure  is  concerned. 

Case  i66.  Dr.  P.  T.  Geyerman,  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 
Hospital,  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota,  reports  the  following 
case: 

Hay  Fever  and  Bronchial  Asthma.  Patient,  E.  E.  B.,  had 
bronchial  asthma  of  five  years'  standing,  following  an  attack 
of  pneumonia.  Patient  had  a  great  deal  of  dyspnoea,  which 
was  worse  during  wet  weather.  The  diagnosis  was  confirmed 
by  physical  examination.  There  was  a  large  amount  of  sputum, 
of  a  frothy  nature,  and  almost  a  continual  cough.  The  pa- 
tient had  some  nasal  surgery  done  two  years  previous  to  this 
without  benefit.  He  had  also  received  a  great  many  doses  of 
phylacogens  something  over  a  year  previous  to  coming  here, 
with  no  results  except  that  his  general  condition  was  weaker 
than  before  taking  it.  He  was  rather  skeptical  as  to  taking 
any  more  vaccine  treatment  but  readily  consented  when  the 
nature  of  the  treatment  was  explained  to  him.  The  filtrate 
was  made  from  the  sputum  in  the  usual  way  and  administered 
in  rather  large  doses ;  after  the  first  three,  as  there  was  no 
response  to  treatment,  it  was  given  at  five  day  intervals  and 
there  was  no  perceptible  change  until  after  the  fifth  injection, 
when  the  patient  began  to  improve  slowly.  Practically  a  com- 
plete cure  followed  in  three  months.  There  was  left  an  occa- 
sional light  attack  of  asthma,  when  weather  conditions  were 
very  unfavorable,  but  other  than  this  the  patient  had  abso- 
lutely no  annoyance  whatever.  No  other  treatment  was  used  as 
the  patient  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  medicine  previous  to  this. 

Case  167.    The  writer  reports  the  following  case : 

Patient,  female,  age  36  years,  had  been  suffering  with 
chronic  asthma  for  fifteen  years  and  the  usual  remedies  for 
this  condition  had  been  given  with  only  temporary  relief.  She 
had  consulted  specialists  in  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia 
and  Chicago;  the  only  thing  that  would  give  her  any  relief 
at  all  was  adrenaline  chloride  and  this  was,  of  course,  but 
temporary.  She  was  given  an  injection  of  the  filtrate  of 
sputum,  prepared  in  the  usual  manner,  and  after  the  third 
injection  the  improvement  was  marked.  She  continued  to  im- 
prove all  the  time  she  was  under  treatrrkent — three  months. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  235 

She  was  extremely  irregular  in  coming  to  the  office  and  there 
frequently  were  lapses  of  two  weeks  during  this  interval  when 
she  had  no  treatment.  When  treatment  was  discontinued,  the 
morning  coughing  spells  and  the  difficult  respiration  lasted  but 
a  few  minutes,  when  before,  they  had  lasted  most  of  the  fore- 
noon. She  could  walk  upstairs  with  no  difficulty  and  work  in 
the  garden  with  no  effort  in  breathing.  This  is  the  only  treat- 
ment she  ever  experienced  that  gave  such  profound  relief. 

Case  168.  Dr.  J.  L.  Bardes,  Newman,  Ga.,  reports  the  fol- 
lowing case : 

Patient,  J.  J.  B.,  male,  age  50.  Injured  in  a  street  car 
wreck  in  1906,  completely  fracturing  three  ribs  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  spinal  vertebrae.  Since  this  date  he  has  bronchial 
asthma,  with  exacerbations,  rendering  him  unable  to  be  about, 
and  bronchiectasis  had  been  induced.  September  20,  1913,  he 
had  a  severe  attack  which  failed  to  yield  to  the  usual  medical 
treatment.  On  October  13,  1913,  I  gave  him  twelve  minims  of 
the  Duncan  toxin-complex  hypodermatically,  and  repeated  in 
four  days.  Improvement  was  decided  from  the  first.  In  two 
weeks  a  third  dose  was  given.  On  this  date  he  seemed  to  have 
completely  recovered.    April  4,  1914,  he  appears  to  be  well. 

Case  169.  Dr.  Curtner,  of  Vincennes,  Indiana,  reports  the 
following  two  cases : 

Patient,  B.  N.,  male,  age  40  years,  had  hay  fever  and 
asthma  for  the  past  ten  years.  Administration  of  Autotherapy 
September  2t„  191 3,  one-half  c.c.  September  24th,  patient 
had  a  good  night's  sleep  but  woke  up  about  4  a.m.  and  was 
choked  up  a  little;  he  felt  good  through  the  succeeding  day. 
September  25th,  the  patient  slept  well  all  night,  the  next  eve- 
ning when  going  uptown  he  had  a  slight  coughing  spell. 
September  26th,  slept  well,  no  trouble  whatever.  September 
27th,  slight  sneezing  this  p.m.  Autotherapy  one  and  one-half 
c.c.  September  28th,  slight  cough  about  5  a.m.  September 
29th,  slight  cough  and  wheezing  at  5  a.m.  September  30th, 
about  the  same.  Autotherapy  one  c.c.  October  14,  191 3,  about 
6  P.M.  had  shortness  of  breath  for  about  twenty  minutes;  after 
this  he  had  no  symptoms  of  the  disease.  This  is  the  first  time 
the  patient  had  been  free  of  the  asthma  and  hay  fever  for  five 
years.  This  patient  had  a  slight  recurring  attack  in  the  Fall, 
191 5,  but  he  has  not  been  bothered  since. 


236  AUTOTHERAPY 

Case  170.  Patient,  L.  A.  F.,  male,  age  56  years,  has  had 
hay  fever  for  the  past  twenty  years.  This  man  came  under 
my  care  last  Fall ;  and  I  also  found  that  he  had  a  tape-worm. 
I  removed  this  and  then  gave  him  Autotherapy  for  the  hay 
fever;  after  the  third  injection  he  stopped  taking  the  treat- 
ment, saying  he  was  all  right.  However,  I  may  get  him  next 
Fall  in  hay  fever  time. 

Dr.  Curtner  adds :  "  I  have  had  several  other  cases  of  hay 
fever  and  asthma  of  over  two  y6ars'  duration  that  I  have 
treated  by  Autotherapy,  that  have  not  as  yet,  had  a  recurrence 
of  the  trouble."  He  also  states  he  has  treated  three  cases  of 
otitis  media  by  means  of  Autotherapy  with  good  results,  and 
one  of  lobar  pneumonia  with  immediate  and  excellent  results. 

Case  171.  Dr.  C.  A.  Sturtevant,  Manchester,  N.  H.,  re- 
ports the  following  three  cases : 

"  Patient,  female,  age  68  years,  suffered  with  bronchitis  and 
asthma  for  years.  The  only  relief  she  could  get  was  by  tak- 
ing some  patent  medicine.  She  spat  up  almost  a  pint  of 
mucus  every  morning,  which  was  thick  and  albuminous.  I 
prepared  Dr.  Duncan's  toxin-complex  from  her  sputum  and 
injected  twenty  minims  subcutaneously.  Her  cough  was  re- 
lieved in  a  day  or  two,  and  apparently  cured  within  a  week 
or  ten  days.    She  had  no  other  medication." 

Case  172.  Dr.  Sturtevant:  "Patient,  female,  age  60  years, 
has  suffered  with  bronchitis  and  asthma  all  of  her  life.  She 
has  an  associated  valvular  regurgitation  with  intermittent  pulse 
and  dilatation.  I  gave  her  an  injection  of  your  autogenous 
toxin-complex  from  the  sputum.  Immediately  following  the 
injection  there  was  some  cyanosis  and  labored  breathing  with 
palpitation,  which  lasted  for  an  hour  or  so.  I  did  not  see  her 
again  for  two  weeks;  at  the  end  of  this  time  she  said  her 
cough  was  practically  cured." 

Case  173.  Patient,  female,  age  26  years,  suffered  with 
asthma  practically  all  her  life.  A  culture  of  the  sputum  re- 
vealed the  staphylococcus  aurius,  and  a  microorganism  mor- 
phologically similar  to  the  micrococcus  catarrhalis.  Immedi- 
ately following  the  first  injection  of  ten  drops  of  the  filtrate 
diluted  with  three  c.c.'s,  of  distilled  water,  she  improved  for 
ten  days.  She  had  a  cutaneous  reaction  of  six  inches,  but 
no  chill.     Upon  the  return  of  symptoms  she  received  a  similar 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  237 

injection.     She  had  seven  injections  during  three  months  when 
she  was  apparently  well. 

Caution. — Be  sure  the  case  is  a  true  asthma.  Many  hay 
fever  cases  require  an  operation  before  they  can  be  perma- 
nently relieved.  Autotherapy  is  not  supposed  to  cure  when 
surgical  operation  is  demanded.  Autotherapy  merely  raises 
the  bactericidal  elements  of  the  blood  to  overcome  the  infecting 
microorganisms. 

When  a  patient  has  a  severe  aggravation  following  an  in- 
jection wait  for  the  amelioration  or  the  positive  phase,  if  this 
is  deferred,  be  patient.  A  high  dilution  is  often  indicated  in 
subsequent  treatments. 

The  following  communications  will  doubtless  be  of  value  in 
assisting  the  reader  who  is  endeavoring  conscientiously  to 
understand  the  Autotherapeutic  technic  in  its  application  to 
chronic  diseases. 

Excelsior  Springs,  Mo.,  March  2,  1918. 
Dear  Dr.  Duncan  : — 

Some  time  ago  I  purchased  from  you  a  Duncan  Autothera- 
peutic Apparatus  and  have  been  treating  my  own  self  for 
bronchial  asthma.  I  took  five  hypodermic  injections  of  the 
filtrate  of  mucus,  and  the  first  four  did  me  a  world  of  good; 
I  then  took  a  larger  dose  2  c.c.  and  had  a  fearful  reaction — 
chills,  fever  and  intense  aching  all  over  like  la  grippe,  I  have 
not  been  so  well  since.  I  wish  to  know  if  one  could  take  too 
large  a  dose,  and  your  opinion  regarding  its  action.  I  will 
thank  you  for  this  information  as  I  have  much  faith  in  Auto- 
therapy and  want  to  give  it  another  trial. 

Fraternally  yours, 

W.  J.  James,  M.D. 

Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D.,  2612  B'way. 

New  York  City,  March  6,  1918. 
Dear  Dr.  James: — 

Your  letter  at  hand  and  contents  noted.  You  did  wrong  in 
taking  another  dose  as  long  as  improvement  followed  previous 


238  AUTOTHERAPY 

doses.  You  compounded  the  injury  by  taking  a  larger  dose. 
The  severe  reaction  you  mention — chills,  fever  and  intense 
aching  all  over  the  body — is  a  severe  aggravation  of  your 
symptoms  caused  by  taking  a  dose  before  it  was  needed,  and 
as  stated  above,  "  compounding  the  injury  by  increasing  the 
dose."  Do  not  take  another  treatment  until  the  aggravation 
or  negative  phase  has  passed  and  the  amelioration  or  positive 
phase  has  set  in.  That  is,  do  not  take  any  until  the  improve- 
ment that  follows  the  subsequent  treatment  has  ceased.  It 
may  be  well,  in  fact  I  would  advise  you  to  overcome  this 
intense  aggravation  to  make  a  dilution — for  example,  the  30th 
dilution  of  the  filtrate — take  three  doses  of  five  drops  each 
by  mouth  every  two  hours,  then  stop  and  watch  for  aggrava- 
tion and  amelioration ;  as  long  as  you  improve  do  not  take 
any  more ;  when  improvement  ceases,  take  three  more  doses  of 
five  drops  each,  an  hour  apart.  If  you  are  not  in  position  to 
make  the  dilution  I  will  run  it  up  for  you  by  hand,  at  a 
nominal  price.  Do  not  be  in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  get  well ; 
you  did  not  contract  the  disease  quickly  and  as  long  as  you  im- 
prove, be  satisfied  with  it. 

With  best  wishes,  my  dear  Dr.  James,  believe  me  I  remain, 
Sincerely  yours, 

Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 
Pneumonia. 

The  pneumonias  have  become  the  most  fatal  acute  infec- 
tions the  physician  is  called  upon  to  treat.  The  policy  of 
"  masterly  inactivity  "  or  "armed  expectancy  "  has  long  been 
recognized  as  inadequate.  Our  inability  to  successfully  cope 
with  the  diseases  has  been  forcibly  thrust  upon  our  attention 
during  the  past  year.  The  pneumonias  are  divided  into  two 
great  classes, — Lobar  pneumonia,  caused  by  one  of  the  diplo- 
cocci  pneumoniae,  and  bronchial  pneumonia,  caused  by  micro- 
organisms other  than  the  above.  Both  of  these  classifications 
are  subject  to  still  further  subdivisions.  The  subdivisions  of 
the  former  are  recognized  by  their  reactions,  of  which  there 
are  four  types, — types  i,  2,  3,  and  4.  The  latter  bronchial 
pneumonias,  may  be  divided  into  many  diflferent  subdivisions, 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  239 

depending  upon  the  etiological  or  causative  microorganism. 
The  principal  pathogenic  microorganisms  responsible  for 
bronchial  pneumonias  are  the  Friedlander  bacillus,  bacillus 
influenzae,  streptococcus  pyogenes,  streptococcus  mucosa, 
staphylococcus  aureus.  Then  there  may  be  mixed  infections 
with  combinations  of  the  staphylococcus  aureus,  Friedlander 
bacillus,  bacillus  influenza,  streptococcus  pyogenes,  strepto- 
coccus viridens,  and  pneumonia  from  undetermined  pathogenic 
microorganisms.  Pneumonia  should  be  considered  as  a  group 
of  diseases.  It  is  difficult  at  times  to  distinguish  between  the 
various  kinds  of  pneumonias,  since  the  clinical  picture  of  the 
same  type  may  differ  widely  in  different  individuals  and 
that  of  different  types  be  quite  similar,  for  this  reason  we 
should  consider  each  case  of  pneumonia  as  a  distinct  clinical 
entity.  Since  the  light  is  beginning  to  break  through  the 
clouds  of  our  former  overshadowing,  much  that  was  obscure 
is  made  plain.  We  now  understand  why  the  treatment  of 
pneumonia  has  been  said  to  be  the  crucial  test  of  any  new 
therapy  or  method  of  healing.  The  reason  so  many  failures 
are  recorded  in  the  past,  lies  in  the  fact  that  we  have  failed  to 
recognize  pneumonias  are  a  group  of  diseases  and  to  suffi- 
ciently individualize  the  patient. 

In  reference  to  the  serum  treatment  of  pneumonias :  The 
pneumonia  sera  are  divided  into  four  different  types,  types  i, 
2,  3,  and  4.  It  is  stated  that  the  pneumococcus  serum,  type  i, 
gives  excellent  results  in  infections  of  type  i.  It  is  claimed 
that  type  i  and  type  2  together  give  rise  to  over  60  per  cent, 
of  all  cases  of  lobar  pneumonia.  Type  3  is  the  pneumococcus 
mucosus  and  gives  the  lowest  incidence  in  diseases  of  the 
different  types  of  pneumonias.  Type  4  is  really  not  a  type  at 
all  but  is  responsible  for  all  the  other  types,  not  included  in 
the  first  three,  and  for  about  20  per  cent,  of  all  cases  of  lobar 
pneumonia.     Although  the  incidence  of  cases  due  to  these 


240  AUTOTHERAPY 

organisms  seems  to  vary  somewhat  in  different  localities,  it  is 
estimated  that  the  serum  treatment  is  applicable  to  about  three- 
fourths  of  all  cases  of  lobar  pneumonia.  Types  2,  3,  and  4 
appear  still  to  be  more  or  less  in  the  experimental  stage  of 
development. 

While  a  systematic  comparison  of  the  relative  number  of 
deaths  occurring  from  lobar  pneumonia  and  bronchial  pneu- 
monia has  not  been  made  yet  in  looking  over  the  statistics 
for  the  past  few  years  (not  including  the  Fall  of  1917,  and 
the  Spring  and  Winter  of  1918)  it  appears  that  there  have 
been  as  many  deaths  from  bronchial  pneumonia  as  there  have 
been  from  lobar  pneumonia.  The  recent  army  epidemic  was 
almost  entirely  of  the  bronchial  type,  and  caused  mainly 
by  streptococcus.  In  some  camps  the  mortality  reached  as 
high  as  80  per  cent.,  so  in  considering  the  mortality  during 
the  past  year  the  death  rate  from  bronchial  pneumonia  is  much 
higher  than  that  from  lobar  pneumonia. 

On  the  basis  of  the  fifty-fifty  assumption  the  serum  treat- 
ment is  applicable  to  one-half  of  75  per  cent.,  or  is  about  three- 
eights  of  all  cases  of  pneumonias  the  physician  is  called  upon 
to  treat.  Let  us  remember  the  serum  treatment  is  available 
only  to  those  who  have  access  to  a  limited  number  of  labora- 
tories. During  the  present  trying  times  a  great  emergency  has 
•arisen,  our  soldiers  are  dying  in  unprecedented  numbers,  it 
is  of  utmost  importance  then  that  we  discuss  the  method  of 
therapy  that  offers  a  definite  treatment  for  this  many  sided 
disease ;  and  that  the  technic  of  this  definite  treatment  be  made 
easily  accessible  to  all.  This  treatment  is  found  in  Auto- 
therapy ;  for  Autotherapy  considers  each  case  of  pneumonia  a 
distinct  clinical  entity  and  treats  it  as  such.  The  autothera- 
peutic  remedy  individualizes  the  patient  as  does  no  other 
therapy  or  method  of  healing.  Autotherapy  tends  to  im- 
munize each  patient  to  his  own  infecting  microorganisms,  and 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  241 

is  applicable  to  all  types  and  classifications  of  pneumonia.  The 
autotherapeutic  technic  of  treating  pneumonia  consists  in 
grinding  the  mucus  in  a  mortar  with  finely  powdered  glass — 
dissolving  the  soluble  toxins  in  distilled  water  98.6°  F.,  filter- 
ing through  a  germ-proof  filter  and  injecting  the  filtrate  sub- 
cutaneously,  in  doses  according  to  the  needs  of  the  patient. 
This  has  been  done  continuously  and  successfully  for  the  past 
seven  years,  as  opportunity  afforded.  The  principal  objection 
that  has  been  raised  to  this  method  of  treatment  is,  that  there 
are  only  two  known  pathogenic  microorganisms  that  give 
extracellular  toxic  substances,  namely  the  Kleb's-Loeffier 
bacillus  and  the  Bacillus  Tetanus.  This  criticism  has  long 
since  been  exploded,  for  Autotherapy  has  proved  that  prac- 
tically all  pathogenic  microorganisms,  including  the  strepto- 
coccus, have  toxic  substances  that  may  be  employed  thera- 
peutically when  the  microorganisms  are  treated  in  the  manner 
described. 

If  there  is  still  doubt  in  the  reader's  mind  as  to  the  great 
therapeutic  value  of  this  new  method  of  treatment  these 
should  vanish,  when  it  is  known  that  the  Department  of 
Health  of  New  York  City  and  the  investigators  at  the  Rocke- 
feller Institute  now  employ  the  antigen  in  the  patient's 
sputum  to  give  the  specific  precipiten  and  agglutinen  reactions 
with  the  antipneumococcic  serum  corresponding  in  type  to  the 
organism  with  which  the  patient  is  infected.  The  deep  sputum 
is  centrifugalized  and  the  super-natent  fluid  containing  the 
antigen  is  employed;  therefore  we  see  after  years  of  doubt 
and  indiflference  on  the  one  hand  and  a  splendid  series  of  suc- 
cesses on  the  other  there  is  no  basis  for  doubt  for  it  is  experi- 
mentally demonstrated.  These  laboratories  are  proving  the 
truth  of  the  writer's  assertions  made  several  years  previous, 
namely — the  antigen  is  present.  They  are  employing  the 
antigen  in  the  patient's  sputum  daily  for  diagnostic  purposes. 


242  AUTOTHERAPY 

If  the  best  results  are  to  be  obtained  the  pneumonias  should 
be  treated  early — within  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
initial  chill.  If  this  is  done  the  crisis  will  usually  set  in  wthia 
the  ensuing  twenty-four  hours.  Space  alone  forbids  giving  a 
large  number  of  interesting  cases  treated  successfully  both 
by  the  writer  and  many  other  physicians.  The  technic  given 
is  for  a  robust  adult,  as  this  is  the  type  of  patient  in  which 
pneumonia  is  most  frequently  fatal.  This  also  is  the  type 
of  patient  in  which  Autotherapy  is  most  successful.  In  the 
fearful  epidemic  that  is  still  going  on  in  our  army,  we  are 
called  upon  to  face  grave  conditions,  conditions  that  demand 
our  best  endeavors.  It  is  time  prejudice  is  thrown  aside. 
Autotherapy  tends  to  act  in  a  curative  manner  in  every  case 
of  pneumonia  where  it  is  properly  employed,  for  the  average 
soldier  is  young,  robust  and  in  good  physical  condition,  his 
power  of  reaction  is  at  its  maximum,  he  may  usually  be 
treated  within  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours  after  the  initial 
chill. 

It  is  extremely  interesting  to  students  of  Autotherapy  to 
find  in  a  "Monograph  "  issued  by  the  Rockefeller  Institute, 
under  the  title  of  "  Acute  Lobar  Pneumonia,"  the  following 
statement :  "  Patients  suffering  with  acute  lobar  pneumonia 
excrete  in  their  urine  at  some  stage  of  the  disease  a  soluble 
substance  of  pneumococcus  origin.  This  substance  gives  a 
specific  precipient  action  with  antipneumococcic  serum  cor- 
responding in  type  to  the  organism  with  which  the  individual 
is  infected."  The  writer  was  the  first  to  employ  urine  as  a 
therapeutic  agent  and  successfully  demonstrated  years  ago  that 
it  may  be  employed  successfully  in  therapy  in  many  infections. 
In  other  words  he  demonstrated  by  actual  clinical  tests  on 
human  beings  that  the  antigen  or  curative  properties  of  many 
infections  may  be  found  in  the  urine.  Thus  we  see  day  by 
day  the  drift  of  modern  medical  thought  is  unmistakably  in 
but  one  direction  and  that  is  towards  Autotherapy. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  243 

In  reference  to  pneumonia  the  writer  is  pleased  to  relate  an 
incident  that  influenced  his  work  materially  in  the  early  stages 
of  the  development  of  Autotherapy : 

In  the  early  Spring  of  1910,  when  the  writer  was  making 
initial  tests  in  Autotherapy  and  had  been  successful  in  treat- 
ing patients  suffering  with  pyogenic  infections  by  buccal  im- 
munization. Dr.  George  F.  Laidlaw  read  a  paper  before 
the  local  county  society  on  tests  he  was  making  in  treat- 
ing pneumonia,  by  aspirating  a  few  drops  of  fluid  from  a 
consolidated  part  of  the  lungs  and  injecting  it  under  the  skin. 
Dr.  Laidlaw  stated  he  was  surprised  to  find  how  many  drops 
of  this  excretion  were  sterile. 

About  this  time  the  writer  was  endeavoring  to  make  a  more 
elegant  autotherapeutic  preparation;  and  it  occurred  to  him 
that  he  could  sterilize  the  toxins  by  filtration.  Dr.  Laidlaw's 
experience  in  curing  a  few  cases  of  pneumonia  by  injecting 
material  obtained  from  the  lungs  without  sterilization  encour- 
aged the  writer  to  go  on  with  his  tests  and  to  filter  the  mucus 
in  the  manner  already  described.  The  writer  believes  it  is 
due  to  Dr.  Laidlaw  to  mention  this  facj:,  not  that  the  writer's 
work  was  dependent  alone  upon  the  tests  of  Dr.  Laidlaw  but 
that  the  writer  felt  encouraged  by  the  latter's  tests  to 
extend  the  usefulness  of  Autotherapy  to  respiratory  infec- 
tions. 

The  writer  desires  to  thank  Dr.  Laidlaw  not  only  for  the 
encouragement  in  the  paper  just  mentioned,  but  for  the  kind 
words  of  encouragement  he  has  ever  extended  to  him  when 
many  of  his  associates  were  hostile. 

Dr.  Laidlaw,  Dr.  Wm.  F.  Dieflfenbach  and  Dr.  Henry  T. 
Brooks  were  the  first  physicians  who  saw  the  great  possibilities 
of  Autotherapy,  and  it  was  these  kind  friends  upon  whom  the 
writer  leaned  for  moral  support  when  it  was  most  needed. 


244  AUTOTHERAPY 

Case  174.  Patient,  Mr.  W.,  age  44.  Came  down  with  a 
severe  chill  Sunday  afternoon  at  4  o'clock.  The  writer  saw 
him  at  eight  o'clock  that  evening.  He  found  the  patient  with 
a  temperature  105.6°  F.  His  whole  face  and  head  were  in- 
tensely congested  and  a  tentative  diagnosis  of  erysipelas  was 
made.  He  had  severe  pains  over  the  middle  lobe  of  the  right 
lung  at  every  breath.  Diagnosis,  erysipelas  and  pneumonia. 
About  the  time  the  writer  made  his  diagnosis,  the  family 
physician,  Dr.  F.  C.  R.,  of  New  York  City,  came  in  and  made 
the  same  diagnosis  the  writer  had  previously  made — we  both 
realized  the  gravity  of  the  situation.  During  our  conference 
it  was  mutually  agreed  that  the  writer  should  treat  the  case 
autotherapeutically,  and  Dr.  R.  would  call  in  daily  for  con- 
sultation, if  needed.  Upon  requesting  a  sample  of  mucus  from 
the  respiratory  tract  the  patient  said  he  had  none,  but  on  being 
told  that  possibly  his  life  depended  upon  getting  this  sample 
within  a  few  hours,  he  succeeded  in  raising  about  half  a 
drachm — this  was  thick  and  tenacious  and  streaked  with  blood. 
This  was  ground  in  a  mortar  with  one-half  ounce  of  the  finest 
powdered  glass  and  was  then  mixed  with  an  ounce  of  distilled 
water  and  allowed  to  stand  at  body  temperature,  with  occa- 
sional agitation,  for  two  hours,  at  which  time  it  was  filtered 
in  the  usual  manner  and  3  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  injected  sub- 
cutaneously.  Moist  applications  of  aluminum  acetates  were 
kept  constantly  on  the  cutaneous  inflammation.  In  forty-eight 
hours  he  received  a  second  injection — at  this  time  his  tem- 
perature was  99°  F.,  having  gradually  been  reduced  by  lysis. 
On  Thursday  he  received  another  injection,  the  improvement 
was  steady  and  continuous,  and  by  the  following  Sunday  he 
was  out  of  bed. 

The  erysipelas  inflammation,  twenty-four  hours  after  it  was 
first  seen  was  so  great  that  both  eyes  were  closed  and  both 
ears  were  of  large  proportions.  At  this  time  the  writer  punc- 
tured several  small  blisters  on  his  face  and  ear  with  a  hypo- 
dermic needle  and  obtained  about  10  drops  of  serum.  A 
filtrate  was  made  in  the  usual  manner.  This  filtrate  was 
mixed  with  the  filtrate  of  sputum  previously  made — and  the 
subsequent  injection  was  made  with  the  combined  filtrates. 
This  patient  had  a  partial  left-sided  facial  paralysis  resulting, 
from  which  he  gradually  recovered  in  about  three  months;  he 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  245 

has  been  entirely  well  for  more  than  a  year,  with  no  return. 

Case  175.  Patient,  male,  age  54  years,  had  a  chill  January 
12,  191 5,  at  six  o'clock  p.m.  That  night  he  had  difficult  and 
painful  breathing  accompanied  by  headache.  When  seen  by 
the  writer  the  next  morning,  at  8  o'clock,  he  had  a  temperature 
of  103°  F.  Pulse  120.  There  was  consolidation  over  the 
middle  lobe  of  the  right  lung.  His  face  was  flushed.  A 
drachm  of  bloody  sputum  was  placed  in  a  mortar  and  thor- 
oughly ground  with  powdered  glass.  It  was  then  mixed  in  a 
bottle  with  an  ounce  of  distilled  water  at  100°  F.  It  was 
thoroughly  shaken  and  allowed  to  stand  for  half  an  hour.  It 
was  then  filtered,  and  two  hours  after  obtaining  the  sputum, 
twenty  minims  of  the  filtrate  were  injected.  In  six  hours  the 
temperature  dropped  to  98°  F.  and  the  pain  ceased  so  that  he 
breathed  freely.  He  progressively  but  slowly  improved  and 
at  the  end  of  two  weeks  he  left  the  house.  He  has  been  well 
now,  for  two  years.  This  patient  had  four  injections,  two 
and  three  days  apart. 

Case  176.  Patient,  female,  age  7  years,  came  down  with 
pneumonia.  As  it  so  frequently  occurs  in  children  I  was 
unable  to  obtain  sufficient  mucus  from  the  respiratory  tract  to 
employ  autotherapeutically,  so  I  was  forced  to  use  other 
means  to  autoimmunize  the  patient.  I  rolled  the  child  in  two 
blankets,  the  only  place  exposed  being  the  face.  A  slit 
was  cut  in  the  side  of  the  blankets  through  which  I  could  place 
my  hand  to  feel  her  pulse.  A  rubber  sheeting  completely  pro- 
tected the  bed.  The  blankets  were  kept  saturated  with  water 
104°  F.  With  my  hands  on  the  child's  pulse  I  sat  by  the 
bedside  for  several  hours  or  until  I  felt  the  pulse  fluctuate 
slightly.  The  blankets  were  then  removed  slowly,  first  one  arm/ 
was  rubbed  with  equal  parts  of  alcohol  and  water  and  dried, 
then  covered  with  dry  blankets ;  then  the  other  arm  was  treated 
in  a  similar  manner;  then  the  legs  in  turn;  then  the  anter/or 
surface ;  then  the  back.  After  this  the  child  slept  practic^lUy 
for  eighteen  hours  except  when  she  awoke  for  nourishment. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  her  temperature  was  100.2°  F.  In 
forty-eight  hours  after  this  its  temperature  was  normal.  This 
child  was  autoimmunized  or  immunized  to  its  own  infecting 
microorganisms  by  relaxing  the  body  by  means  of  the  hot  pack- 
ing; some  of  the  unmodified  toj^ins  escaped  from  the  locus  of 


246  AUTOTHERAPY 

infection  into  the  healthy  tissues — this  was  manifested  by  the 
fluctuation  of  the  pulse;  this  is  no  less  an  autotherapeutic  cure 
than  the  usual  method  of  injecting  the  filtrate  of  sputum  hypo- 
dermatically. 

Case  177.  Patient,  female,  age  45  years,  was  under  auto- 
therapeutic treatment  for  acne  vulgaris  by  the  writer,  in  May, 
1913.  She  called  at  the  office  and  said  while  in  the  subway  a 
few  minutes  before,  she  had  a  severe  chill.  There  was  great 
pain  in  breathing.  She  had  the  characteristic  "  pneumonia 
grunt."  Temperature  103°  F.  A  little  blood-streaked 
sputum  was  raised  with  difficulty,  accompanied  by  stabbing 
pains.  There  was  consolidation  over  the  middle  lobe  of  the 
right  lung.  Her  face  was  flushed  and  she  was  evidently  weak. 
A  drachm  of  sputum  was  obtained  while  in  the  office,  and 
within  two  hours  she  was  given  a  hypodermic  injection  of  the 
filtrate.  Two  hours  later  her  breathing  was  much  easier,  and 
the  next  morning  the  temperature  was  normal,  but  the  patient 
was  weak.  In  forty-eight  hours  after  the  first  injection,  she 
was  given  another  of  the  same  filtrate.  In  four  days  after 
the  initial  chill  she  was  up  and  around  the  house,  but  still 
weak.    She  made  an  uneventful  recovery. 

Dr.  P.  T.  Geyerman,  Surgeon  to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 
Hospital,  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota,  says : 

*  "  The  process  by  which  Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapeutic  fil- 
trate is  prepared  and  the  fact  that  nothing  foreign  is  intro- 
duced into  the  patient,  appealed  to  me  and  I  determined  to 
try  this  new  method  of  active  immunization.  It  must  be  clear 
that  if  we  can  obtain  the  specific  infecting  organism,  its  value 
as  an  immunizing  agent  must  be  greater  than  shot-gun  mixture 
that  does  not  contain  this  product.  The  sending  of  inoculated 
culture  tubes  to  a  distant  laboratory  that  an  autogenous  vaccine 
might  be  made,  is  practically  of  no  value.  I  believe  this  will 
be  concurred  in  by  almost  every  laboratory  technician   not 

*  From  a  S)miposium  on  "  Autotherapy  "  that  appeared  in  the  Western 
Medical  Times,  October,  1916. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  247 

engaged  in  the  commercial  laboratory.  The  greatest  objection 
that  can  be  found  to  the  auto-filtrate  at  present  is  that  we  have 
no  accurate  method  of  standardization.  However  by  follow- 
ing the  rules  given  by  Dr.  Duncan  one  need  not  fear  any 
untoward  results.  We  have  never  had  any  unduly  severe  local 
or  general  reaction,  nor  any  abscess  follow  an  injection.  We 
have  treated  a  number  of  cases  in  this  way  and  our  results 
have  been  encouraging;  for  at  times  we  have  obtained  good 
results  where  the  autogenous  vaccines  have  failed. 

"  The  auto-filtrate  is  available  to  all,  it  is  easily  and  cheaply 
made  and  can  be  used  with  the  utmost  confidence  that  it  will 
do  good  where  a  vaccine  is  indicated.  The  fact  that  it  is 
quickly  and  easily  obtained,  is  to  my  mind  an  asset. 

"  That  Autotherapy  is  a  cure-all  or  ever  will  be  a  cure-all 
for  every  infection  is  not  to  be  expected  or  looked  for.  When 
we  take  into  consideration  the  various  methods  the  animal 
organism  must  use  to  protect  itself  from  invasion  by  foreign 
proteins,  one  is  astonished  at  the  large  number  of  favorable 
results  obtained  by  any  form  of  vaccine  treatment.  That  these 
results  are  obtained,  is  no  longer  denied,  especially  for  im- 
munization purposes  and  early  treatment.  On  the  other  hand, 
vaccine  treatment  is  not  so  valuable  as  some  would  like  to 
have  us  believe,  especially  the  manufacturers  of  stock  vaccines. 
When  Von  Behring  first  brought  out  his  diphtheria  antitoxin 
it  seemed  but  a  short  step  to  the  production  of  an  antitoxin 
for  all  known  infections.  With  one  or  two  exceptions  it  still 
remains  the  only  antitoxin  of  value  or  likely  to  be  for  some 
time  to  come.  The  reason  for  this  is  quite  clear  now  that  we 
have  been  taught  more  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  bac- 
teriology. Vaccines  have  gone  through  much  the  same  process 
of  elimination,  but  there  seems  to  be  less  chaff  and  more  wheat, 
so  that  we  might  be  thankful  for  one  more  method  of  value  in 
the  immunization  of  the  body — how  much  I  do  not  know.    But 


248  AUTOTHERAPY 

that  Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapy  is  of  value  we  must  concede. 

"  In  reporting  the  following  cases  I  have  selected  four  of 
the  respiratory  tract,  and  one  infection  following  abortion,  as 
being  typical  cases.  Infections  of  the  respiratory  tract  seem 
to  lend  themselves  readily  to  the  auto-filtrates;  since  it  is 
rather  difficult  to  get  a  pure  culture  from  these  cases  for 
the  making  of  Autogenous  vaccines." 

One  infection  of  the  respiratory  tract  reported  by  Dr. 
Geyerman,  is  the  following  case  of  pneumonia : 

Case  178.  Patient,  A.  E.  S.,  age  36,  male,  American.  Un- 
resolved pneumonia.  Duration  seven  weeks.  Original  focus 
in  the  left  lung,  posteriorly.  Temperature  104°  to  105°  F. 
Early  in  the  course  of  the  disease  there  was  considerable 
cyanosis.  At  the  end  of  two  weeks  the  evening  temperature 
was  100°  to  101°  F.,  pulse  96  to  105.  At  the  end  of  three 
weeks  an  autogenous  vaccine  was  made  and  given  at  three 
days'  intervals,  with  very  little  improvement  at  the  end  of 
three  weeks  more.  At  this  time  an  unmodified  filtrate  was 
made  from  the  sputum,  using  about  one  drachm  of  the  sputum 
and  one  ounce  of  distilled  water,  and  allowing  it  to  stand  for 
twelve  hours  before  filtering.  Ten  minims  were  injected  under 
the  skin,  which  was  followed  by  a  rather  severe  local  reaction 
with  a  little  further  rise  in  temperature.  At  the  end  of  forty- 
eight  hours  there  was  no  noticeable  change  in  the  condition  of 
the  patient  when  another  filtrate  was  made  and  of  this  twenty 
minims  were  injected,  followed  by  some  local  and  general  dis- 
turbance. In  twenty-four  hours  the  temperature  dropped  to 
normal  and  pulse  to  86.  After  three  days  another  injection  of 
the  same  filtrate  was  given  which  was  followed  by  a  slight 
rise  in  temperature,  falling  to  normal  in  twelve  hours.  No 
more  injections  were  given  after  this  as  the  patient's  condi- 
tion was  such  that  it  was  not  considered  necessary.  The  pa- 
tient left  the  hospital  at  the  end  of  another  week  feeling 
well. 
Case  179.  The  writer  reports  the  following  cases: 
Patient,  male,  age  24  years,  had  been  sick  for  five  days. 
On  the  day  the  writer  was  called  he  began  to  spit  blood  and 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  249 

mucus.  Being  alarmed  at  this  he  sent  for  the  nearest  physician 
and  it  happened  to  be  the  writer.  He  was  found  to  be  suffer- 
ing with  pneumonia — temperature  103°  F.,  painful  respiration 
with  consolidation  over  the  lower  lobe  of  the  left  lung.  There 
was  a  history  of  a  chill  four  days  previous.  About  two  square 
inches  of  cantharides  plaster  was  placed  over  the  abdomen, 
and  the  mother,  a  trained  nurse,  was  instructed  to  catch  the 
serum  in  a  sterile  bottle,  and  to  mix  with  this  about  ten  parts 
of  sterile  water.  At  the  end  of  ten  hours  she  collected  the 
serum  and  four  hours  afterwards  he  was  given  a  subcutaneous 
injection  of  2  c.c.  of  the  filtered  fluid.  In  thirty-six  hours  his 
temperature  was  97^0°  F.  He  made  an  uneventful  recovery. 
Circumstances  prevented  the  writer  from  making  a  filtrate  of 
the  mucus  in  the  usual  manner.  Many  physicians  report 
prompt  cures  of  acute  infectious  diseases  by  employing  blister- 
serum  in  this  manner. 

Case  180.  Patient,  male,  A.  P.,  age  17  years,  was  taken 
with  a  chill  on  Tuesday,  while  at  school ;  he  came  home  com- 
plaining of  not  feeling  well ;  five  days  later  the  writer  was 
called  and  found  the  patient  with  a  temperature  of  104°  F., 
with  congestion  over  the  middle  and  lower  lobes  of  the  right 
lung.  I  obtained  about  2  c.c.  of  mucus  streaked  with  blood 
from  a  sputum  cup.  This  was  carried  to  the  office  and  mixed 
with  an  ounce  of  distilled  water  at  100°  F.  and  thoroughly 
shaken ;  after  which  time  it  was  passed  through  a  Duncan 
Autotherapeutic  Apparatus.  At  twelve  o'clock,  i  c.c.  of  the 
filtrate  was  injected  subcutaneously.  Monday  at  6  p.m., 
his  temperature  was  loi  °  F.  At  noon  the  next  day  tempera- 
ture 96.6°  F.  He  made  an  uneventful  recovery.  In  addition 
to  the  above  treatment  the  patient  was  given  an  enema  and 
wrapped  in  hot  blankets,  and  was  given  bryonia  and  phos- 
phorus.    In  five  weeks  he  gained  seventeen  pounds. 

Case  181.  Patient,  E.  B.,  age  22  years  old,  had  been  suffer- 
ing with  pulmonary  tuberculosis  for  the  past  three  years  and 
for  the  past  eighteen  months  has  been  under  the  writer's  care. 
He  has  had  no  elevation  of  temperature  for  six  months ;  in 
fact  he  has  so  far  recovered  from  the  disease  that  there  were 
no  clinical  manifestations  of  it.  As  chauffeur  he  was  exposed 
during  the  early  part  of  February,  1918.  The  following  night 
he  became  alarmed  at  the  pains  in  his  chest,  severe  coughing 


250  AUTOTHERAPY 

spells  and  general  debility.  The  writer  was  called  in  at  2 
o'clock  Tuesday  morning ;  he  found  the  patient  in  a  grave  con- 
dition ;  there  were  rales  all  over  his  chest  and  he  was  becoming 
rapidly  weaker  owing  to  the  severe  paroxysms  of  coughing; 
his  temperature  was  103.5°  F.,  with  pleuritic  pains  under  the 
right  shoulder  blade.  He  was  restless,  his  face  was  red  and 
,he  breathed  with  difficulty.  He  had  a  severe  chill  on  Mon- 
day morning  at  9  o'clock  and  many  chills  throughout  Monday 
and  Monday  night. 

A  drachm  of  his  sputum  was  mixed  with  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water  at  100°  F.,  in  which  was  placed  a  drachm  of  glass 
beads ;  this  was  thoroughly  agitated  for  ten  minutes,  after 
which  time  it  was  passed  through  a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic 
bedside  apparatus  and  i  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  injected  subcutane- 
ously.  When  seen  Wednesday  at  7.30  a.m.,  the  patient's 
temperature  was  normal.  It  appears  that  one  hour  after 
receiving  the  hypodermic  injection  the  patient  quieted  down 
and  went  to  sleep  and  did  not  waken  until  7  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  He  had  had  a  restful  day,  on  Wednesday,  and  was 
hungry,  but  weak;  the  cough  had  been  checked  almost  in- 
stantly and  the  pain  in  his  chest  left  six  hours  after  injection. 
The  writer  had  never  seen  a  chest  in  such  bad  condition,  in 
a  patient  who  recovered.  When  seen  the  following  Saturday 
morning,  the  temperature  was  97.6°  and  the  patient  was 
convalescing  nicely.  He  made  an  uneventful  recovery.  He 
called  at  the  office  the  following  Tuesday,  one  week  after  the 
writer  first  attended  him.     His  tuberculosis  was  improved. 

Case  182.  Dr.  L.  N.  Klove,  Wanamingo,  Minn.,  reports  the 
following  case : 

Dear  Dr.  Duncan  :  I  have  had  two  serious  cases  of  bron- 
chial pneumonia  where  I  brought  on  the  crisis  in  less  than 
six  hours  by  means  of  Autotherapy.  One  case  was  in  a  child 
three  months  old — the  other  in  a  child  two  years  old.  I  never 
could  have  faith  in  the  vaccines  although  I  have  made  use  of 
them  to  some  extent.  In  my  hands  Autotherapy  is  far  superior 
to  either  stock  or  autogenous  vaccines. 

Captain  B.  V.  Nesfield,  of  Agra,  British  India,  F.R.S.C. 
Local  Chemical  Examiner,  a  former  pupil  of  Wright's,  states 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  251 

he  cured  nine  consecutive  cases  of  Indian  pneumonia  (which 
by  other  methods  of  treatment  has  a  mortahty  of  about  50 
per  cent.)  by  means  of  Autotherapy — injecting  the  exudate 
from  the  lungs,  sterilized  by  heat,  subcutaneously. 

Pleural  Effusion 

Case  183.  Dr.  Edgar  F.  Moffat,  Orange,  N.  J.,  reports 
the  following  case : 

Patient,  boy  15  years  old,  had  double  croupous  pneumonia, 
due  to  the  influenza  bacillus.  There  was  delayed  resolution, 
temperature  approaching  normal,  but  on  the  fourteenth  day 
of  the  disease,  I  found  the  posterior  half  of  the  left  lower 
lobe,  and  a  large  area  of  the  right  lung,  still  solid — flat  on 
percussion  with  bronchial  rales.  Breathing  was  normal — 
no  cough  or  expectoration.  I  applied  a  square  inch  of  fly 
plaster  to  the  pectoral  region  and  drew  about  ten  drops  of 
the  serum  into  a  syringe  that  already  contained  2  c.c.  of 
water  and  injected  the  contents  through  a  smear  of  iodine 
over  the  biceps  muscle.  In  forty-eight  hours  the  lungs  were 
practically  clear,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  more,  all  physical 
signs  were  absent  over  the  affected  area.  It  cleared  up  by 
absorption,  but  there  was  very  little  cough  or  expectoration 
during  the  period. 

Case  184.  Reported  in  April,  1913,  by  Dr.  Borrows,  Plain- 
well,  Mich. 

Mr.  M.,  patient,  came  to  me  stating  that  during  the  previous 
October  he  had  had  an  attack  of  pleurisy  and  that  he  had 
apparently  recovered.  During  the  last  three  weeks  he  had 
severe  night  sweats  and  wanted  to  know  why.  Upon  examina- 
tion I  found  the  pleural  cavity  to  the  fifth  rib  filled  with  fluid. 
After  explaining  to  him  the  possibilities  of  a  long  treatment 
of  the  case  by  medicine,  I  proposed  to  him  that  I  withdraw 
some  of  the  serum  and  use  it  as  a  therapeutic  agent,  explain- 
ing to  him  the  reasons  I  had  for  trying  it.  He  acquiesced, 
I  removed  about  thirty  minims  and  injected  this  under  the 
shoulder,  and  told  him  to  come  again  in  forty-eight  hours. 
He  reported  with  a  perfectly  dry  cavity.  Five  punctures 
failed  to  find  any  fluid. 


252  AUTOTHERAPY 

Acute  Appendicitis  and  Acute  Cholecystitis 

It  is  often  difficult  to  determine  accurately  the  exact  con- 
dition within  the  abdomen  before  it  is  entered.  But  we  often 
have  an  hour  to  spare  without  undue  danger  to  life.  In  fact, 
these  patients  are  usually  not  operated  upon  till  several  hours 
have  elapsed.  During  this  period  they  should  be  treated  auto- 
therapeutically.  If  there  is  serious  doubt  that  the  patient 
will  not  survive  twelve  hours  without  an  operation,  operate. 
But  very  often  at  the  end  of  twelve  hours  the  patient  is  so 
far  improved  that  the  operation  is  forestalled.  Autotherapy 
should  be  employed  in  all  cases  of  appendicitis  whether  the 
abdomen  is  entered  or  not,  for  Autotherapy  tends  to  immunize 
the  patient  to  his  own  infecting  microorganisms.  Surgery 
does  not.  Many  physicians  do  not  believe  in  operation  for 
these  conditions.  Without  entering  into  a  discussion  of  the 
relative  merits  of  these  beliefs,  we  would  suggest  that  Auto- 
therapy is  more  effective  in  forestalling  a  laparotomy  for 
acute  appendicitis  than  anything  we  now  have  at  our  com- 
mand. Some  patients  will  not  be  operated  upon;  to  these 
Autotherapy  will  often  prove  a  blessing.  This  subject  is 
treated  more  fully  in  a  former  chapter. 

Case  185.    The  writer  reports  the  following  case : 

Patient,  female,  married,  age  45  years,  was  first  seen  in 
December,  191 1,  suffering  from  an  inflammation  of  the  gall- 
bladder. Under  the  usual  treatment  she  alternately  improved 
and  relapsed  several  times  during  the  following  year.  On 
January  21,  191 3,  she  became  very  much  worse.  Her  con- 
dition pointed  unmistakably  to  pus  in  the  gall-bladder.  She 
had  pain  over  the  region  of  the  gall-bladder  that  extended 
to  the  back ;  the  least  movement,  even  talking  or  deep  breath- 
ing, causing  severe  pain.  She  vomited  at  7  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  21st,  and  at  11  o'clock  p.m.  she  had  a  chill. 

The  next  day  Dr.  George  F.  Laidlaw  was  called  in  con- 
sultation to  see  the  case.  With  merely  an  introduction  he 
diagnosed  the  case  cholecystitis, — the  same  diagnosis  the  writer 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  253 

had  previously  made, — and  recommended  an  operation  within 
forty-eight  hours. 

The  writer  ehcited  the  further  fact  that  the  patient  had 
been  suffering  with  a  catarrhal  condition  of  the  respiratory 
tract,  the  beginning  of  which  coincided  with  that  of  the  pain 
in  the  region  of  the  gall-bladder.  Autotherapy  of  bronchitis 
and  catarrhal  conditions  of  the  respiratory  tract  having  previ- 
ously proved  so  successful  in  the  hands  of  the  writer,  it  was 
decided  to  make  a  test  of  this  case  to  see  whether  the  treat- 
ment of  the  catarrh,  with  the  filtrate  of  sputum,  would  have 
any  effect  on  the  conditions  of  the  gall-bladder.  Accordingly 
four  c.c.  of  the  sputum  were  placed  in  an  ounce  of  distilled 
water,  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours,  with  occa- 
sional agitation,  after  which  time  it  was  filtered.  On  January 
22,  at  10  P.M.  twenty  minims  were  injected  hypodermatically 
in  the  loose  cellular  tissue  over  the  biceps  muscle.  The  next 
day  she  reported  that  within  ten  minutes  after  the  injection 
the  pain  became  very  much  worse  and  continued  to  be  very- 
severe  until  3  A.M. ;  after  which  time  she  went  to  sleep  and  did 
not  wake  until  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning.  When  seen 
the  next  day  the  patient  was  comfortable,  though  there  was 
still  some  soreness  in  the  region  of  the  previous  pain.  She 
gradually  improved,  however,  and  did  not  have  another  pain 
for  two  weeks.  These  pains  were  dull  and  aching  in  char- 
acter, not  as  sharp  and  severe  as  they  were  before.  However, 
the  patient  became  frightened  and  feared  the  old  trouble  was 
returning.  Another  injection  of  the  same  filtrate  was  given, 
when  the  pain  again  disappeared  within  a  few  hours.  The  in- 
jections were  repeated  every  five  days  as  long  as  the  catarrhal 
condition  lasted,  that  ic,  until  March  20th. 

She  has  had  no  pain  since  the  second  injection.  On  March 
20th,  she  reported  that  she  had  no  more  catarrhal  conditions. 
The  sputum  had  been  gradually  diminishing  since  the  first 
injection.  The  patient  was  discharged  on  this  day,  but  told 
to  return  if  she  had  any  more  pain,  or  if  the  catarrhal  con- 
dition returned.  She  came  to  the  office  in  response  to  a  tele- 
phone call,  but  a  physical  examination  did  not  reveal  any 
soreness  or  tenderness  over  the  seat  of  the  former  pain.  She 
said  she  was  in  good  health  and  apparently  she  was.  As 
Stated  above  she  has  had  no  pain  since,  except  immediately  after 


254  AUTOTHERAPY 

each  injection ;  at  such  times  she  usually  had  some  slight  pain 
lasting  for  five  or  six  hours.  At  one  injection,  February  lo, 
she  was  given  one  c.c.  of  the  filtrate.  Immediately  after  this 
injection  she  said  she  was  very  sick  and  had  considerable  pain, 
but  it  passed  oflf  within  six  hours.  The  last  two  injections 
caused  no  pain. 

*  In  considering  the  Autotherapy  of  cholecystitis  and  ap- 
pendicitis many  important  questions  arise.  One  is :  In  how 
many  diseases  may  the  causative  microorganisms  be  obtained 
from  the  sputum?  It  has,  as  far  as  the  writer  knows,  never 
been  asserted  that  in  a  disease  apparently  as  remote  from 
the  lungs  as  cholecystitis,  the  toxins  may  be  obtained  from 
the  sputum;  but  as  shown  in  this  case  it  apparently  was  pos- 
sible to  obtain  the  toxins  from  the  sputum.  Is  it  not  possible, 
yes  even  probable,  that  the  microorganisms  are  brought  to 
the  lungs  with  inspired  air  and  enter  the  respiratory  tract  at 
a  point  where  the  continuity  of  the  mucosa  is  interrupted,  or 
at  some  microscopic  foramina?  May  not  the  microorganisms 
proliferate  here,  some  being  expelled  with  the  sputum,  others 
or  their  toxins  passing  into  the  circulation  and  reaching  dis- 
tant parts,  thus  producing  constitutional  disturbances,  such 
as  pain,  increased  temperature,  etc.?  How  often  have  we 
seen  patients  suffering  with  a  toxic  disease  supposedly  for- 
eign to  the  lungs  die  from  pneumonia  that  developed  quickly? 
We  are  all  familiar  with  this  occurrence.  The  question  that 
engages  attention  in  this  connection  is  "  had  this  bronchial 
condition  been  recognized  early  and  the  filtrate  from  the 
sputum  containing  the  specific  microorganism  been  therapeu- 
tically employed,  might  not  such  patients'  lives  have  been 
spared  ? "  How  far  this  therapeutic  measure  may  be  ex- 
tended to  other  affections  considered  as  dissociated  with  the 

*  Abstract  from  an  article  by  the  writer  under  the  title  of  "  Auto- 
therapy versus  Operation,"  that  appeared  in  the  American  Practitioner, 
July,  1913. 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  255 

respiratory  tract  can  only  be  conjectured  at  present.  Hereto- 
fore catarrhal  conditions  often  accompanying  toxic  diseases 
had  been  accounted  for  on  the  basis  of  impeded  circulation. 
A  question  still  to  be  answered  is — How  many  acute,  sub- 
acute and  chronic  affections  known  or  suspected  to  be  toxic 
in  nature  are  at  times  accompanied  by  a  catarrhal  state  of 
the  respiratory  and  other  tracts?  Thought  instinctively  turns 
to  many  diseases.  Is  it  not  probable  that  occasionally  we  may 
be  able  in  some  of  those  diseases  to  obtain  the  products  of 
the  causative  microorganisms  from  the  sputum  and  success- 
fully employ  them  in  therapy?  If  the  above  theory  regarding 
the  etiology  of  disease  is  correct,  surgical  operation  may  often 
be  forestalled.  Surgical  operation,  however,  does  not  remove 
the  underlying  cause  of  the  surgical  condition,  it  simply  re- 
moves some  of  the  effects.  The  causative  microorganisms, 
proliferating  in  the  lungs,  may  again  migrate  to  distant  parts 
of  the  body,  and  set  up  constitutional  disturbances,  such  as 
pain,  increased  temperature,  etc.  In  this  connection  it  is  inter- 
esting to  inquire  how  many  diseases  have  the  same  causative 
microorganisms  as  their  chief  etiological  factor?  Autotherapy 
tends  to  remove  the  cause  of  the  disease,  surgical  operation 
too  often  removes  merely  some  of  the  effects.  There  is  no 
doubt  in  the  writer's  mind  that  by  Autotherapy  many  con- 
ditions supposedly  demanding  operative  measures  may  be 
cured,  and  the  operation  avoided.  Just  how  many  clinical 
tests  alone  will  tell.  The  present  indications  are  that  there 
will  be  many  more  than  the  writer  would  care  at  present  to 
predict.  It  is  the  condition  behind  and  deeper  than  the  opera- 
tion that  Autotherapy  often  removes.  Diligent  search  of  the 
patient  for  the  toxins  of  the  disease,  wherever  they  may  be 
found,  or  by  what  avenue  they  may  be  eliminated,  is  a  main 
consideration.  In  acute  conditions  a  speedy  relief  may  be 
expected,  but  in  chronic  conditions  the  treatment  may  have 


256  AUTOTHERAPY 

to  be  extended  over  a  number  of  weeks  or  months.    A  diag- 
nosis is  often  unnecessary  as  far  as  a  cure  is  concerned. 

Case  i86.  Dr.  Fenner  of  Sacramento,  California,  reports 
the  following  case: 

Miss  O.  H.,  age  29  years,  had  been  treated  by  three  other 
physicians  and  in  several  institutions  for  three  years.  She 
complained  of  spasmodic  recurring  pain  in  the  stomach  and  in 
the  region  of  the  gall-bladder.  After  a  careful  examination 
and  an  analysis  of  the  stool,  by  the  city  laboratory,  I  diag- 
nosed the  case  as  catarrh  of  the  bile  duct  and  bowels.  After 
I  had  given  my  diagnosis  she  said  that  this  was  the  diagnosis 
of  three  other  physicians  who  had  been  treating  her.  I  pre- 
pared the  Duncan  autogenous  toxin-complex  from  the  excre- 
tion from  the  nose  and  gave  the  following  doses :  November 
26,  1913,  five  minims  hypodermatically.  There  was  a  strong 
local  and  slight  systemic  reaction.  She  was  given  six  other 
doses  about  six  days  apart,  at  the  end  of  this  time  she  was 
greatly  improved.  She  has  had  no  pain  and  can  eat  almost 
anything.  On  February  27th,  she  said  she  was  better  than  she 
had  been  in  a  great  while,  although  she  had  been  under  a 
great  mental  strain  (not  dependent  on  the  disease).  She 
could  eat  and  had  been  eating  at  hotels.  She  got  wet  twice 
and  took  no  cold  nor  had  she  any  return  of  the  trouble. 

Case  187.    The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 

Patient,  male,  age  35  years.  Both  his  lodge  and  family 
physician  diagnosed  his  condition  as  acute  appendicitis,  and 
recommended  an  immediate  operation,  which  was  refused. 
The  writer  not  knowing  their  diagnosis  also  pronounced  it 
appendicitis,  and  operation  was  still  refused.  In  questioning 
the  patient  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  a  catarrhal  condition 
of  the  respiratory  tract.  A  drachm  of  the  sputum  was  ob- 
tained, and  in  three  hours  he  was  injected  with  the  unmodified 
filtrate.  In  six  hours  all  pain  disappeared.  He  was  given 
two  more  injections,  two  days  apart  and  a  week  later  went 
to  work.  Three  months  later  he  had  a  return  of  the  pain.  He 
was  then  operated  upon.  The  appendix  was  found  to  be  full 
of  pus  with  many  adhesions  over  the  abdomen.  He  had  been 
subject  to  recurrent  attacks  of  these  pains  for  several  years. 
He  was  then  treated  autotherapeutically  with  the  pus  from 


RESPIRATORY  INFECTIONS  257 

the  wound  and  made  a  rapid  recovery.  He  cites  these  cases 
mainly  to  show  what  can  be  expected  of  Autotherapy  in 
treating  those  patients  who  refuse  operation.  The  causative 
microorganism  in  the  above  case  was  staphylococcus  pyogenes 
aureus. 

Case  188.  Patient,  male,  age  65  years.  The  diagnosis  of 
acute  appendicitis  was  made  by  the  family  physician  who 
referred  him  to  a  surgeon;  he  applied  to  the  writer  whom 
he  knew.  He  believed  he  would  die  if  he  was  operated  upon, 
and  refused  intervention.  He  was  given  an  injection  of  his 
toxin-complex  made  from  thick  sputum,  five  hours  afterwards. 
In  six  hours  after  the  injection  the  pain  left  as  if  by  the 
action  of  morphine.  He  was  given  five  injections,  four  days 
apart.  There  has  been  no  return  of  the  pain  now  nearly  a 
year. 
Ulcer  of  the  Stomach 

Case  189.    The  writer  reports  the  following  case: 

Patient,  male,  age  53  years,  had  been  suffering  with  chronic 
indigestion  for  many  years.  He  finally  arrived  at  the  point 
where  he  could  retain  but  little  on  his  stomach  without  severe 
pain  following  in  a  half  hour.  He  had  fallen  off  in  flesh,  and 
three  well-known  physicians  of  New  York  City,  after  treating 
him  in  succession  for  some  months  were  able  to  benefit  him 
but  slightly.  The  last  one  suggested  that  a  change  of  climate 
might  benefit  him  and  he  went  out  on  a  large  farm  to  live  with 
relatives.  He  lived  here  for  three  years  with  some  improve- 
ment. At  this  time  he  came  under  the  writer's  medical  super- 
vision. A  pipe  was  continually  in  his  mouth  and  he  smoked 
many  hand-made  cigarettes. 

Treatment. — The  patient  was  instructed  to  stop  smoking 
immediately,  to  flush  the  colon  daily  with  a  ra£tal._spijral_ 
ejlSjna.iube  (the  writer  will  pause  to  state  this  is  the  only 
satisfactory  tube  he  has  ever  seen).  He  was  also  instructed 
to  take  a  hot  bath  daily,  temperature  108°  F.,  into  which  was 
to  be  placed  one  pound  of  epsom  salts.  A  diet  of  milk  was 
given  in  the  following  manner, — one-half  a  glass  of  certified 
milk  every  half  hour.  In  this  way  he  took  about  three  quarts 
daily.  Orange  juice  ad  libitum,  sweetened  if  desired  with  a 
little  sugar.     He  kept  up  this  regime  for  two  weeks,  at  the 


258  AUTOTHERAPY 

end  of  which  time  he  reported  for  treatment.  While  he  felt 
somewhat  better,  he  still  spat  up  about  four  ounces  of  mucus 
daily.  He  was  given  a  hypodermic  injection  of  the  filtrate 
of  sputum,  prepared  in  the  usual  manner;  at  first  in  five-day 
intervals  this  was  gradually  extended  to  two-week  intervals. 
At  the  end  of  three  months  he  had  gained  fourteen  pounds  in 
weight,  and  said  he  did  not  know  he  had  a  stomach.  He 
coughed  up  a  little  mucus  about  once  every  two  days.  Realiz- 
ing when  this  patient  began  treatment  that  it  possibly  would 
be  extended  over  a  long  period  of  time,  the  writer  prepared 
an  ounce  of  filtrate  to  which  he  added  three  drops  of  tri- 
creosol.  At  present,  one  year  afterwards,  the  patient  appar- 
ently is  as  well  as  he  ever  was  in  his  life. 

Infections  of  the  Eye 

The  application  of  Autotherapy  to  infections  of  the  eye  had 
never  received  serious  consideration  by  the  writer  till  his  at- 
tention was  directed  to  the  subject  by  Dr.  J.  Ivimey  Dowling, 
of  Albany,  N.  Y.  In  looking  into  the  subject  he  was  surprised 
to  find  very  many  infections  of  the  eye  have  their  origin  in 
the  nares.  This  being  so  it  appears  that  all  such  diseases  of 
the  eye  are  readily  amenable  to  Autotherapy. 

Dr.  Dowling  after  making  many  tests  is  enthusiastic  over 
his  results  in  Autotherapy,  and  states  he  is  apparently  treat- 
ing "  glaucoma "  successfully,  a  disease  before  which  the 
physician  is  practically  helpless. 


"/  do  not  doubt  for  a  moment  the  evidence  Dr.  Duncan  has  placed 
before  the  profession  in  cases  of  bacterial  infection,  nor  am  I  in  the 
least  disposed  to  despise  demonstrated  results  because  they  do  not 
seem  to  coincide  with  the  doctrines  and  theories  of  men  who  may 
temporarily  be  in  exalted  positions  and  assume  the  role  of  virtuous 
infallibility.  I  have  already  outlived  the  creeds  of  too  many  who  have 
arrogantly  assumed  that  everything  outside  of  their  own-little-private- 
Aower-bed  is  incredible  and  impossible.  Until  we  know  all  possible 
changes  that  may  transpire  in  complex  organic  chemistry  and  biology, 
it  is  becoming  that  we  be  more  humble  and  broad-minded." 

Dr.  James  Law,  M.D.,  D.V.S.,  ex-Dean  and  Emeritus  Professor  of 
New  York  State  Veterinary  Medical  College  at  Cornell  University,  on 
Autotherapy 

CHAPTER  XI 

URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY 

*  Wood  says,  "  Dysuria,  or  painful  urination  is  one  of  the 
symptoms  of  disease  most  frequently  met  with  in  general 
practice,  and  because  of  the  fact  that  the  disease  is  located  in 
or  about  the  bladder,  or  urethral  mucous  membrane,  it  is  im- 
possible to  utilize  the  principle  in  its  treatment  of  physiologi- 
cal rest.  Its  pathogenic  significance  as  far  as  the  gross  lesions 
are  concerned  may  be  slight,  but  its  clinical  importance  must 
not  be  lost  sight  of.  I  know  of  no  symptoms  which  will 
more  quickly  undermine  the  health  of  either  man  or  woman, 
than  a  bladder  irritation,  sufficiently  great  to  give  rise  to  a 
frequent  desire  to  empty  the  organ  with  coincident  tenesmus." 
In  this  discussion  we  are  dealing  not  with  adventitious  growths 

*  Abstract  from  the  able  work  on  "  Urinary  Diseases,"  by  James 
.Wood.  M.D, 

*S9 


26o  AUTOTHERAPY 

as  cancer,  polypi  fungoid  growths,  etc.,  nor  with  those  condi- 
tions requiring  surgical  measures.  Primarily  we  are  dealing 
with  conditions  due  either  directly  or  indirectly  to  bacterial 
infections.  There  are  conditions  difficult  to  trace  to  bacterial 
origin  that  respond  promptly  to  Autotherapy. 

One  of  the  strong  indications  for  the  use  of  urine  as  a 
remedy,  is  frequent  urging  accompanied  with  burning  and 
tenesmus.  These  are  not  the  only  symptoms,  however,  that  call 
tor  urme'  as  a  therapeutic  agent,  for  it  has  been  found  fre- 
quently useful  in  conditions  that  are  not  associated  with  pain 
and  discomforts,  namely,  as  nocturnal  enuresis.  There  is  also 
another  symptom  where  urinemay  frequently  be  found  to  be 
useful;  even  though  urine  alone  may  not  always  be  able  Xo 
cure  the  patient,  and  that  is  in  hematuria. 

In  giving  urine  as  a  remedy  we  shouUbe  guided  as  to  single 
and  repeated  doses  by  the  needs  or  requirements  of  the 
patient ;  there  are  no  set  rules  governing  all  conditions 
we  are  called  upon  to  treat.  However,  there  are  general 
rules  that  are  more  or  less  difficult  for  the  beginner  to 
understand  and  use  properly  which  become  useful  in  the 
hands  of  the  prescriber,  as  he  accustoms  himself  to  examining 
the  patient  from  the  autotherapeutic  point  of  view.  It  may 
be  generally  stated  that  acute  conditions  require  a  larger 
dose  than  chronic  conditions.  While  this  in  the  main  holds 
true  for  adults,  yet  there  are  exceptions  to  the  rule.  Dr. 
Deachman's  patient  obviously  w^as  suffering  with  a  .chronic 
condition  and  as  such  required  exceedingly  small  doses.  M.any 
patients  treated  by  the  w^riter  with  the  dilution  of  urine  were 
cured  when  apparently  nothing  else  would  cure  them. 

There  are  in  the  pathogenic  exudates  toxic  substances 
to  which  the  patient  must  develop  resistance  in  order  that  a 
cure  may  be  instituted.  In  other  words,  in  Autotherapy  the 
patient  has  the  right  toxic  substances  within  his  body  and  it 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    261 

remains  for  the  physician  to  find  it  and  determine  the  proper 
dose  and  the  interval  between  doses  so  that  the  local  tissues 
may  develop  resistance  to  them. 

In  giving  the  autotherapeutic  remedy  it  is  not  the  power  of 
the  remedy  per  se  that  is  increased  or  decreased  by  dilution; 
it- is  the  responsive  power  of  the  patient  that  determines 
whether  the  dose  be  given  in  a  weak  or  concentrated  form. 

The  further  we  get  away  from  the  dose  and  study  the 
individuality  of  the  patient  the  better  will  be  our  position  to 
treat  the  patient  successfully,  for  there  is  no  standard  dose 
any  more  than  there  is  a  standard  individual.  There  is  no 
dose  or  potency  that  has  maximum  efficiency  but  the  one  which 
the  individual  requires. 

In  conditions  where  the  causative  microorganisms  can  be 
obtained  readily  there  are  no  objections  to  using  the  opsonic 
index  as  a  guide  if  the  physician  so  desires,  but  many  authori- 
ties now  believe  that  this  is  usually  unnecessary,  for  with  a 
skilled  appreciation  of  the  nature  of  the  infection  and  the 
response  of  the  individual,  the  dose  can  usually  be  selected 
with  sufficient  accuracy  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  patient. 
The  opsonic  index  is  not  as  accurate  a  guide  in  marking  the 
interval  between  doses  as  was  formerly  supposed.  There  are 
usually  more  than  one  pathogenic  microorganism  in  the  locus 
of  infection  that  musPSe  taken  into  consideration  in  treating 
the  patient.  The  opsonic  index  repeated  for  each  microorgan- 
ism is  obviously  opening  the  door  for  complications  which 
are  far  beyond  the  average  clinician,  if  not  the  average  labora- 
tory facilities. 

It  is  difficult  at  the  present  time  to  state  how  far  the  auto- 
therapeutic treatment  of  diseases  may  extend,  for  many  con- 
ditions apparently  requiring  operative  treatment  have  been 
materially  benefited  when  urine  as  a  remedy  was  properly 
employed. 


262  AUTOTHERAPY 

There  is  scarcely  a  pathogenic  condition  which  does  not 
affect  the  urine  contents.  Our  gross  chemical  and  micro- 
scopical analyses  do  not  interpret  the  finer  delicate  shadings 
nor  differentiations  that  arise.  It  may  be  said  that  urine  is 
like  a  weather  vane,  sensitively  registering  any  change  in  the 
patient's  condition,  be  it  great  or  small.  Many  pathogenic 
conditions  which  give  rise  to  an  excess  of  uric  acid,  calcium 
oxalates,  sodium  urates,  etc.,  are  quickly  cured  by  the  thera- 
peutic employment  of  urine  alone.  Whether  it  will  tend  to 
cure  all  pathogenic  conditions  that  cause  an  excess  of  these 
substances  in  urine,  is  more  or  less  in  the  nature  of  conjecture 
at  present  but  it  is  significant,  indeed,  when  Clark's  Materia 
Medica  gives  many  conditions  in  which  uric  acid  and  urea  have 
been  proved  to  be  therapeutically  effective.  In  the  New  York 
Medical  Journal  of  December  14  and  21,  1912,  and  in  the 
Therapeutic  Record  of  January,  191 4,  the  writer  reported 
that  he  was  employing  urine  successfully  in  the  treatment  of 
many  conditions.  This  is  the  first  mention  made  in  modern 
medical  literature  of  urine  being  employed  successfully  in  the 
treatment  of  disease ;  since  then  it  has  been  employed  success- 
fully both  by  the  writer  and  many  other  physicians  in  treating 
patients  suffering  with  a  great  variety  of  pathogenic  conditions. 

Crockett  in  the  Medical  Record  cites  three  cases  of  bladder 
and  prostatic  troubles  that  were  cured  by  autotherapeutically 
employing  urine  alone — a  complete  substantiation  of  the  writ- 
er's previous  work. 

Many  symptoms  apparently  of  the  bladder  are  but  reflex 
symiatoms  from  the  kidneys.  Where  tuberculosis  of  the  kid- 
ney is  suspected,  the  sediment,  collected  by  centrifugalization, 
should  be  diluted  and  allowed  to  stand  and  filtered  in  the  usual 
manner,  and  the  filtrate  employed.  The  filtered  urine  of  other 
conditions  may  at  times  also  be  employed,  diluted  or  not,  to 
suit  the  needs  of  the  patient. 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    263 

Case  190.    The  writer  reports  the  following  cases : 

Patient,  male,  age  30  years,  applied  for  treatment  for  cystitis 
that  developed  after  a  long  drive  in  the  rain.  At  night  he  had 
to  void  every  hour  or  two.  There  was  burning  tenesmus  and 
almost  constant  desire.  A  teaspoonful  of  earlv  morningjirine 
one-half  hour  before  meals  completely  cleared~up  the  case 
within  two  days. 

Case  191.  Patient,  Hebrew,  travelling  salesman,  age  38 
years,  had  gonorrhea  three  months  previous  while  travelling. 
He  consulted  various  physicians  who  succeeded  in  stopping  the 
discharge,  but  there  were  many  threads  or  tripperfaden  re- 
maining and  he  held  his  urine  with  difficulty.  He  had  had  no 
sexual  desire  since  his  infection.  He  was  placed  on  sediment 
of  urine  one  part,  ajcohol  two  parts,  colored  with  cocoa,  with 
instructions  to  take  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  before 
meals.  In  four  days'  time  the  strings  in  the  unne  were  very 
few.  In  two  weeks  time  he  said  he  was  well,  as  his  sexual 
desire  had  returned.  There  were,  however,  still  a  few  (very 
few)  threads. 

Case  192.  Patient,  female,  age  46  years,  passing  through  the 
climacteric  developed  a  severe  cystitis  with  tenesmus  and  con- 
stant urging,  etc.  She  passed  only  a  small  quantity  at  a  time. 
There  was  no  evidence  or  suspicion  of  gonorrhea.  Her  urine 
vyas  filtered  through  a  Berkefeld  filter  and  five  minims  of  "tHe 
filtrate  injected  subcutaneously.  This  relieved  all  symptoms 
within  twenty-four  hours^  She  was  given  two  subsequent 
injections  four  days  apart ;  there  has  been  no  return  now  over 
six  months. 

Case  193.  Patient,  male,  age  23  years.  During  his  second 
week  of  gonorrhea  while  under  treatment  developed  an  acute 
cystitis.  The  condition  had  persisted  for  about  three  days.  A 
teaspoonful  of  his  early  morning  urine  three  times  a  day  be- 
fore meals  allayed  the  inflammation  within  twenty- four  hours. 

Case  194.  Patient,  male,  age  36  years,  stationary  engineer, 
has  been  healthy  all  his  life.  Two  months  ago  he  began  to 
have  serious  domestic  and  family  troubles.  Since  then  on  the 
occasion  of  great  mental  excitement,  moisture  and  oozing  from 
the  penis  was  noticeable.  The  discharge  was  clear.  There  was 
no  burning,  nor  was  there  a  history  of  gonorrhea.  He  was 
given  a  bottle  containing  an  equal  part  of  sediment  of  urine 


264  AUTOTHERAPY 

(pjgetted  after  twelve  hours'  standing)  and  qs  per  cent,  alco- 
lTLol~coIored  witTil:ocqa,  wfth  instructions  to  take  a  teaspoon  ful 
three  times  a  day.  In  three  days^e  discharge  ceasedT  He^said 
he  felt  stronger,  and  more  vigorous  generally,  and  particularly 
in  the  genito-urinary  organs. 

Case  195.  Patient,  male,  age  54  years,  applied  for  treatment 
suffering  with  urinary  troubles  which  he  described  as  follows : 

Very  uncomfortable  when  holding  his  urine  for  more  than 
two  or  three  hours.  Gets  up  two  and  three  times  at  night,  and 
has  constantly  an  uneasy  feeling  in  the  bladder,  and  troubled 
dreams.  He  noticed  five  years  ago  that  his  sexual  powers  were 
waning.  When  he  applied  for  treatment,  copulation  took  place 
at  from  two  to  four  weeks'  intervals,  or  more  infrequently. 
An  analysis  of  his  urine  showed  there  was  a  trace  of  indican 
and  large  deposits  of  sodium  urates.  After  two  hours'  stand- 
ingjihe  sediment  in  the_beakpr  Tneasured  _aboutone-fourtfi~by 
volume^  It  was  thick~and  muddy  in  appearance.  Specific 
gravity  1018.  There  were  some  pus  cells,  and  very  few 
squamous  epithelia,  no  albumin  or  sugar.  The  prostate  was 
enlarged  and  very  sensitive.  Treatment : — He  was  instructed 
to  bring  into  the  office  a  sample  ot  ms  early  morning  urine. 
This  was  centrifugalized  and  the  sediment  from  four  such 
centrifugalizations  washed  with  normal  saline  arid  again  cen- 
trifugalized. The  sediment  was  now  collected  and  mixed  with 
an  ounce  of  distilled  water  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve 
hours  after  which  time  it  wasJiltereH  through  a  IVrkt^ld  hltqr 
and  ten  minims  injected  subcutaneously  over  the  biceps  mus- 
cle!  Within  twenty-four  hours  the  cutaneous  reaction  was  8 
inches  in  diameter.  There  was  no  appreciable  constitutional 
reaction.  The  cutaneous  reaction  was  at  its  height  within 
forty-eight  hours  when  it  began  to  recede.  The  bladder  and 
prostate  irritation  became  less.  Eight  days  later  he  was  given 
another  injection  in  the  other  arm — same  reaction  took  place. 
After  this  injection  his  symptoms  cleared  up  and  now  he  is 
apparently  normal,  having  sexual  relations  regularly. 

Case  196.  Dr.  F.  W.  Sumner,  British  Surgeon  of  Saharan- 
pore,  India,  reported  in  the  Indian  Medical  Gazette,  of  Novem- 
ber, 1914,  in  an  article  under  the  title  of  "  Prevention  and 
Treatment  of  Septic  Wounds  in  Warfare,"  the  following  case 
cured  by  Autotherapy: 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    265 

"  European,  developed  acute  cystitis  with  a  temperature  of 
102°  F.  daily,  with  most  painful  and  frequent  strangury.  The 
urine  was  acid  and  contained  bacilli  coli ;  there  was  no  urethral 
discharge  or  history  of  gonorrhea.  Four  days'  treatment  with 
cystopurin,  etc.,  caused  no  amelioration  of  the  symptoms.  I 
then  centrifugalized  his  urine  and  collected  the  sediment  from 
severaF  such  centrifugalized  tubes,  added  saline  and  shook  the 
tube  well,  again  centrifugalized,  decanted  the  supernatant 
fluid,  took  SIX  mmims  of  the  s^flimpnt,  ad(^e(]_an_jmr\ce  of 
saline  Xthe  writer  prefers  distilled  water)  stood  it  forTwenEy- 
four  hours,  occasionally  agitating  it,  and  injected  20  minims 
of  the  filtrate  subcutaneously.  Considerable  reaction  both  local 
and  general  followed,  but  the  pain  and  strangury  ceased  at  once, 
as  if  by  magic.  He  then  made  an  uneventful  recovery;  one 
injection  only  was  given;  the  temperature  came  down  by  lysis; 
it  lasted  ten  days  from  the  commencement  of  the  illness," 
Dr.  Sumner  stated  further  in  commenting  on  the  use  of  Auto- 
therapy :  "  It  is  to  be  noted  that  pure  unadulterated  toxins 
germ-free  are  thus  injected,  and  the  results  are  incomparable 
with  those  of  vaccine  treatment." 

Case  197.  Patient,  Dr.  Clifford  M.  Pardee,  applied  for 
treatment,  suffering  with  most  severe  tenesmus  and  constant 
urging.  He  suffered  intensely  with  paroxysms  of  pain.  This 
condition  had  prevailed  for  several  months.  As  he  had  failed 
to  improve  under  the  usual  treatment,  he  decided  to  see  what 
Autotherapy  could  do  for  him.  As  he  had  been  taking  some 
anodynes,  he  was  instructed  to  take  no  medicines  for  fiv^  davs 
and  then  to  bring  in  a  specimen  after  a  water- free  diet  for 
twenty-iour  hours!  The  sediments  from  three  centrifugaliza- 
tions  were  collected.  This  was  washed  in  an  ounce  of  saline 
solution,  and  again  centrifugalized  and  the  sediment  placed 
in  an  ounce  of  distilled  water,  and  allowed  to  stand  for 
twelve  hours  with  occasional  agitation ;  after  which  time  it  was 
filtered  through  a  Berkef eld  filter.  It  was  then  ready  for  use — 
^minims  the  subcutaneous  dose.  The  doctor,  however,  decided 
ne  could  not  wait  for  the  injection  and  began  to  take  per  os  a 
drachm  of  urine  in  the  following  manner.  He  collected  urine 
in  four  tour-ounce  graduates.  After  a  /ew  hours  he  pipetted 
off  a  drachm  of  sediment  and  took  this.  When  seen  in  five 
days  he  was  decidedly  improved.    The  paroxysms  were  not  so 


266  AUTOTHERAPY 

frequent  nor  nearly  so  severe.  An  X-ray  examination  was 
then  made  that  revealed  two  large  calculi  attached  to  the  pos- 
terior wall  of  the  bladder.  This  case  is  given  to  illustrate  how 
Autotherapy  will  relieve  the  inflammation  even  though  the  con- 
dition is  not  cured  by  its  use. 

Case  198.  Patient,  male,  age  50  years,  applied  for  treatment 
suffering  with  inflammation  of  the  bladder  and  prostate ;  this 
had  been  gradually  developing  after  staying  in  bed  for  almost 
a  year  as  the  result  of  a  fracture  of  both  bones  of  both  legs. 
Upon  rising  from  a  sitting  posture  it  was  necessary  to  void 
urine  within  a  minute.  He  had  to  get  up  at  night  five  and  six 
times.  There  was  burning  and  tenesmus  and  constant  desire 
when  on  his  feet.  There  was  no  sugar  or  albumin  but  a  large 
excess  of  indican  and  colon  bacilli  and  an  excess  of  uric  acid. 
The  usual  remedies  for  such  conditions  gave  little  or  no  relief. 
It  was  then  decided  to  treat  him  autotherapeutically.  He  was 
instructed  to  take  a  drachm  of  early  morning  urine  a  half 
hour  before  each  meal.  Within  twenty-four  hours  his  im- 
proved condition  was  so  marked  that  he  became  alarmed  think- 
ing recovery  was  too  quick,  and  stopped  medication.  The  pain 
and  tenesmus  returned ;  he  continued  the  treatment  and  im- 
proved greatly.  X-ray  revealed  three  calcareous  deposits 
(phleboliths)  in  the  veins  on  each  side  of  the  bladder  wall. 
He  gradually  improved  and  after  five  months  his  rest  at  night 
was  not  broken  till  five  in  the  morning.  The  old  urging  has 
all  but  disappeared ;  he  is  apparently  in  good  health ;  not  well, 
but  vastly  improved. 

Case  199.  Patient,  male,  age  56  years,  a  high  liver.  As  a 
morning-after  penitent,  he  suflfers  with  an  irritable  bladder 
manifested  by  burning  and  frequent  micturition.  It  usually 
took  a  week  to  recover  from  these  drinking  bouts,  and  then  he 
is  compelled  to  stop  drinking  beer  or  other  alcoholic  beverages. 
Now  whenever  this  condition  prevails,  he  takes  a  teaspoonful 
of  urine  upon  rising  and  once  or  twice  during  the  day 
and  is  benefited  within  twenty-four  hours.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  not  always  troubled  with  morning  bladder  irritation 
after  drinking  heavily  the  night  before. 

Case  200.  Professor  Robert  W.  Ellis,  D.V.S.,  editor  of  the 
American  Veterinary  Review,  reports  the  following  case  cured 
by  employing  urine  alone: 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    267 

"  Patient,  a  high-bred  Boston  bull  dog,  10  months  old,  suf- 
fering with  a  constant  desire  to  void  urine.  There  was  loss 
of  appetite,  and  he  was  emaciated.  Urine  came  in  drops  and 
with  great  difficulty.  Having  had  such  excellent  results  in  the 
autotherapeutic  treatment  of  animals  suffering  with  many  other 
infectious  diseases,  he  decided  to  make  a  test  in  this  case  to  see 
if  urine  as  a  therapeutic  agent  would  have  any  effect.  Accord- 
ingly he  catheterized  the  animal  and  obtained  about  two  ounces. 
With  a  long-nozzled  syringe  he  placed  this  down  the  animal's 
throat ;  improvement  was  immediate  and  continuous.  The 
next  morning  he  began  normally  to  void  urine;  his  appetite 
improved  and  he  has  not  had  a  sick  day  since,  now  over  two 
years.  When  accidentally  seen  six  months  after  the  treatment, 
he  did  not  know  the  animal,  for  at  this  time  he  was  strong, 
muscular  and  extremely  active.    But  a  single  dose  was  given." 

Our  best  information  concerning  the  therapeutic  value  of 
many  biological  agents  comes  from  animal  experimentation. 
The  animal  doctors  have  the  advantage  of  us  in  that  they  can 
be  more  free  in  the  application  of  tests. 

A  leading  veterinarian  recently  remarked  that  if  he  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  all  else  in  medicine  or  Autotherapy  he  would 
give  up  medicine  and  be  more  successful  in  treating  animals 
suffering  with  infectious  diseases. 

Case  201.  Dr.  T.  Wilson  Deachman,  of  Chicago,  reports 
the  following  two  cases  : 

Patient,  Mrs.  B.,  age  39  years.  Fourteen  months  ago  she 
began  to  suffer  frequent  micturition,  neuralgia,  extreme  nerv- 
ousness and  indigestion.  Urinary  analysis  was  as  follows : 
Volume  in  twenty-four  hours,  33  ounces.  Day  urine,  14 
ounces.  Night  urine,  19  ounces.  Specific  gravity  1012.  Re- 
action acid.  Total  solids,  50  grains.  Albumin,  1.47  per 
cent.  Microscopical  findings,  many  renal  cells.  Squamous 
epithelial  pus  cells.  She  was  compelled  to  void  five  or 
six  times  every  night  and  was  in  a  very  depressed  mental 
condition.  I  put  her  on  a  rigid  diet  and  gave  her  the  usual 
accepted  remedies.     She  seemed  to  occasionally  improve  but 


268  AUTOTHERAPY 

this  was  not  lasting.  I  then  gave  the  patiept  urine  according 
to  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan's  autotherapeutic  treatment.  The 
result  was  magical,  the  improvement  very  rapid  following  the 
first  dose.  The  result  following  the  second  dose  was  what 
was  least  desired  or  expected.  She  failed  to  improve  and  be- 
>>came  temporarily  worse.  I  then  reduced  the  dose  by  triturat- 
ing the  dose  with  sugar  of  milk ;  following  this  she  became 
so  much  worse  I  was  afraid  she  would  go  to  another  physician. 
I  then  placed  her  on  sugar  of  milk  tablets  for  about  three 
weeks.  After  this  I  gave  the  looo  c.c.  dilution  of  urine  run 
up  by  our  local  pharmacy.  She  then  began  to  steadily  improve 
with  the  results  that  she  presented  in  a  very  short  time,  the 
very  picture  of  health — with  urine  specific  gravity  1018 — 
normal  in  amount  and  color.  She  sleeps  well  the  whole  night 
through  and  has  no  urinary  symptoms.  She  has  continued 
to  remain  well  now  over  six  months. 

Case  202.  "  Patient,  male,  age  49,  was  extremely  nervous 
and  irritable;  he  had  wandering  pains  all  over  his  body,  head- 
ache and  general  lassitude.  He  complained  of  a  great  deal 
of  pain  in  the  lumbar  regions  and  in  the  abdomen  over  the 
sigmoid  flexure.  The  bowels  regular  but  there  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly bad  odor  to  the  stools.  He  improved  on  nothing 
that  I  gave  him.  He  had  taken  massage,  osteopathic  treatment 
and  drank  gallons  of  medicine  at  the  hands  of  other  doctors 
with  no  avail.  The  urine  was  a  pale  yellow,  specific  gravity 
1020  to  1030,  acidity  60  and  up,  passage  in  twenty-four  hours, 
20  to  25  ounces.  Microscopic  examination  showed  red  blood 
cells,  pus  cells,  renal  cells  and  abundance  of  calcium  oxalate 
crystals.  The  treatment  consisted  of  a  twenty  minim  injec- 
tion of  the  urine  diluted  i  to  100  with  distilled  water.  He 
improved  with  this  to  a  certain  point  but  did  not  entirely 
recover  until  I  used  the  higher  attenuations,  under  these  he 
made  a  prompt  recovery.  Two  months  after  he  was  dis- 
charged, another  analysis  showed  acidity  39,  specific  gravity 
1020,  absence  of  pus  and  renal  cells,  and  volume  of  urine 
1500  c.c.  in  twenty-four  hours." 

Continuing,  Dr.  Deachman  says :  "  These  are  but  few  of  the 
many  cases  I  have  successfully  treated  by  your  method,  the 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    269 

value  of  which  I  consider  inestimable.  I  make  this  statement 
after  a  wide  experience  in  treating  many  patients  suffering 
with  chronic  diseases  and  particularly  in  the  use  of  urine  as 
an  autotherapeutic  agent.  I  am  free  to  say  that  the  results 
obtained  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  usual  recognized 
methods." 

Diabetes 

Case  203.  The  following  abstract  was  republished  in  the 
New  Albany  Medical  Herald,  February,  191 5,  (C.  G.  Moore) 
from  the  Archives  of  Pediatrics: 

"  I  find  diabetes  mellitus  an  uncommonly  difficult  disease 
for  the  general  practitioner  to  treat.  April  14,  1912,  I  was 
called  to  see  a  little  seven-year-old  girl.  They  gave  me  a  his- 
tory of  her  having  felt  badly  for  a  few  days  and  of  having  had 
some  fever.  On  examining  the  child  I  found  her  to  have  a 
temperature  of  102°  F.,  but  all  my  other  findings  were  nega- 
tive. I  called  the  next  day  and  found  nothing  present  out- 
side of  the  temperature,  which  was  just  the  same  as  the  day 
previous.  In  a  couple  of  days  they  informed  me  her  tempera- 
ture was  normal  and  she  was  feeling  all  right,  but  she  was 
passing  a  large  amount  of  urine  frequently  and  it  left  a  sticky 
spot  on  the  sheet.  I  advised  a  strict  diet  but  the  parents  re- 
fused to  adhere  to  it.  Having  tried  all  methods  of  treatment 
on  several  other  patients  whom  I  have  had  within  the  past 
few  months  suffering  with  glycosuria,  I  decided  to  try  Auto- 
therapy, for  I  had  known  cases  of  icterus  which  had  failed  to 
respond  to  any  medical  treatment,  but  cleared  up  in  a  very 
short  time  when  they  were  given  their  own  urine  to  drink.  I 
gave  this  little  girl  three  ounces  of  her  own  urine  three  times 
daily  (first  masking  taste  and  color)  and  then  examined  for 
the  sugar  percentage  and  found  that  when  she  was  taking  the 
urine,  the  percentage  of  sugar  dropped,  and  that  when  it  was 
withdrawn,  the  percentage  increased.  I  could  also  see  some 
improvement  in  her  general  condition.  She  did  not  urinate 
so  often  or  so  much ;  did  not  drink  so  much  water ;  her  skin 
was  more  moist,  and  she  was  not  so  nervous.  She  finally  sick- 
ened of  the  urine  and  her  parents  did  not  continue  the  treat- 


270  AUTOTHERAPY 

merit;  since  then  she  has  been  growing  worse.  The  urine  at 
the  present  time  containing  15  per  cent,  sugar  with  traces  of 
acetone." 

The  comment  the  writer  would  make  on  this  case  is  as 
follows : 

First,  the  dose  was  too  large.  Second, — the  hypodermic 
injection  of  filtered  urine  much  diluted  should  have  been  given 
after  the  patient  refused  to  take  it  internally.  From  three  to 
five  minims  of  the  third  or  higher  centesimal  dilution  appears 
to  be  the  dose  for  this  child. 

The  writer  has  successfully  treated  many  cases  of  bladder 
and  prostate  infections  not  reported.  He  believes  that  when 
urine,  blood  and  cerebrospinal  or  other  body  fluid,  etc.,  are  to 
be  given  autotherapeutically,  enough  should  be  obtained  and 
preserved  before  treatment  is  begun  to  last  throughout  the 
treatment.  It  appears  that  after  the  first  treatment  is  given 
the  microorganisms  remaining  in  the  body  are  affected  by  it 
so  that  their  toxins  no  longer  have  the  same  therapeutic  value 
as  the  toxins  prepared  from  the  fluid  before  any  injec- 
tion is  given.  Occasionally,  however,  a  new  specimen  may  be 
employed.  There  are  no  set  rules  that  will  fit  all  cases  and 
each  patient  must  be  treated  as  an  individual.  The  general 
autotherapeutic  rule  is  to  discontinue  administering  the  toxins 
when  the  improvement  begins.  In  this  way  the  patient  is 
allowed  to  react  to  the  toxins  and  to  continue  to  react  as  long 
as  it  is  possible  for  him  to  do  so.  When  improvement  ceases 
and  the  aggravation  of  symptoms  again  sets  in,  repeat  the 
dose.  This  gives  the  tissues  another  boost.  After  a  time  there 
will  come  a  period  when  he  will  not  need  this  assistance  and 
will  continue  to  remain  free  from  symptoms.  A  dose  or  two 
more  at  the  proper  interval,  determined  by  previous  dosage 
in  this  individual  case,  is  then  given  to  increase  further  his 
resistance  to  the  infecting  microorganisms. 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    271 

Case  204.  Dr.  Eric  Graf  Vondergoltz,  of  New  York  City, 
reports  that  he  reduced  sugar  in  a  diabetes  patient  from  over 
5  per  cent,  to  normal  in  two  weeks'  time  by  the  use  of  urine 
per  OS. 

Nocturnal  Enuresis 

Case  205.  Patient,  male,  age  8  years,  had  been  wetting  the 
bed  constantly  all  his  life.  He  had  been  under  the  care  of 
several  physicians  with  no  improvement.  He  was  sent  to  a 
hospital  where  he  was  circumcised,  but  on  his  return  the  same 
old  practice  of  wetting  the  bed  continued  without  intermission. 
He  was  then  sent  to  the  country  as  a  last  resort  where  he  re- 
mained till  the  present  time.  While  in  the  country  he  was  sent 
to  school  but  remained  for  only  a  few  days  because  his  cloth- 
ing was  so  impregnated  with  the  smell  of  urine.  Several 
mattresses  had  to  be  burned  for  the  same  reason.  September 
18,  1913,  he  came  under  the  writer's  medical  care;  it  was  then 
decided  to  see  what  autotherapy  would  do  for  him.  Accord- 
ingly {a  pint  of  e.arly_morning_urine  was  mixed  withfa'pint  of 
alcohol.  Of  this  he  was  given  a  teaspoonlful  three  tirnes  a  day 
l^efore  mea:ls,  beginning  with  the  dinnerjneal.  He  has  not  wel 
the  bed  since,  cy^istake  tTie  treatment  was  continued  for 
three  weeks  but  no  harm  was  done.  The  trouble  has  not  re- 
turned and  the  patient  has  gained  progressively  in  weight,  has 
now  a  good  color,  and  sings,  a  thing  he  never  did  before. 

Case  206.  Patient,  female,  age  10  years,  has  been  wetting 
the  bed  since  she  was  a  baby.  She  did  not  want  to  do  this  and 
cried  at  times  on  account  of  her  soiling  the  bed  clothes  regu- 
larly. Her  mother  was  instructed  to  give  her  a  teaspoonful 
of  her  early  morning  urine  before  meals  (a  fresh  supply  every 
morning).  This  was  sweetened  with  molasses  just  before  tak- 
ing. She  stopped  wetting  the  bed  after  the  first  dose.  About 
six  weeks  afterwards  she  began  again;  during  the  interval 
she  learned  what  she  had  been  taking  and  her  parents  would 
not  insist  upon  her  taking  it  again. 

In  one  of  the  large  babies'  hospitals  in  New  York  City 
where  children  are  taken  up  to  the  age  of  12  years,  this 
method  of  treating  nocturnal  enuresis  is  found  to  be  efficacious 


272  AUTOTHERAPY 

in  many  instances.  There  were  some  cases  that  failed  to  re- 
spond and  whether  this  failure  is  due  to  faulty  technic  or  to 
the  condition  not  being  amenable  to  this  treatment  is  not 
known  but  it  is  successful  in  a  sufficient  number  of  cases  to 
warrant  its  being  given  a  fair  trial,  at  least  in  those  condi- 
tions that  fail  to  respond  to  the  usual  methods  of  treatment. 

The  etiology  of  this  condition  is  obscure  and  the  question 
presents  itself — May  not  nocturnal  enuresis  be  due  either  di- 
rectly or  indirectly  to  pathogenic  microorganisms  ?  It  appears 
that  bacteria  located  in  or  near  the  sphincter  would  either 
by  direct  or  reflex  action  cause  constant  irritation  that  is  the 
precursor  of  relaxation.  This  assumption  is  apparently  borne 
out  by  the  fact  that  the  condition  is  frequently  improved  as  are 
all  extra-alimentary  and  extra-pulmonary  infections  when  the 
etiological  microorganisms  or  their  toxins  are  taken  by  the 
mouth. 

It  is  believed  that  broken-down  products  of  normal  metab- 
olism taken  in  this  way  are  not  conducive  of  the  best  physical 
effect.  When  they  are  associated  with  pathogenic  toxic  sub- 
stances as  they  often  are  in  the  urine,  the  amount  of  the 
former  taken  is  comparatively  small  and  the  benefit  derived 
from  the  latter  is  great.    Ill  effects,  if  any,  are  not  appreciable. 

Nephritis 

In  developing  a  new  system  of  therapy  as  wide  in  scope  as 
Autotherapy,  it  is  not  within  the  province  of  any  physician, 
either  in  regard  to  time,  clinical  experience  or  effort  to  more 
than  point  out  the  way  along  many  lines  of  investigation  to 
others  who  have  more  opportunities  from  a  clinical  point  of 
view,  to  develop  the  work  along  the  line  of  their  respective 
specialties. 

The  writer  was  as  much  surprised  in  treating  his  first  case 
of  nephritis  at  the  good  results  he  obtained,  as  was  the  patient 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    273 

and  the  pathologist.  Since  then  he  has  treated  successfully 
a  number  of  patients  suffering  with  nephritis.  He  makes  no 
claims  for  the  autotherapeutic  method  of  treating  nephritis, 
other  than  reporting  a  few  cases.  A  careful  urinary  analysis 
was  made  in  every  case  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  these  few 
patients  improved.  The  albumen  and  casts  became  less,  and 
at  times  disappeared.  Whether  a  much  wider  experience 
would  justify  the  autotherapeutic  method  of  treatment  in  all 
cases  of  nephritis  can  only  be  conjectured  at  this  time;  how- 
ever, since  the  process  of  destruction  was  arrested,  and  the 
process  of  repair  instituted  in  its  place  in  a  certain  number 
of  cases  that  are  not  too  far  advanced ;  the  cases  should  be 
reported,  especially  as  the  principle  involved  agrees  with  much 
that  is  already  known  to  be  true ;  the  technic  employed  will  be 
given  under  the  case  reports. 

Case  207.  Patient,  Dr.  D.  A.  McM.,  of  New  York  City, 
age  probably  70  years.  The  writer  was  called  to  see  this  pa- 
tient by  his  brother,  Dr.  A.  R.  McM.,  and  Dr.  G.  F.  Laidlaw, 
who  had  been  called  in  consultation.  The  patient  was  weak 
and  suffering  acutely  with  an  exasperating  cough  that  became 
worse  upon  lying  down.  There  had  been  other  physicians  in 
consultation  on  the  case,  and  it  appears  in  spite  of  all  they 
could  do  that  the  condition  of  the  patient  grew  steadily  worse. 
It  was  then  realized  that  if  something  was  not  done  to  control 
the  cough  a  fatal  termination  would  probably  ensue.  It  was 
then  decided  to  see  what  Autotherapy  would  do  for  the  condi- 
tion. The  writer  ground  a  drachm  of  mucus  thoroughly  in  a 
mortar  with  fine  powdered  glass  and  this  was  then  mixed  with 
an  ounce  of  distilled  water  at  the  temperature  of  the  blood, 
in  a  four-ounce  bottle.  The  mixture  was  thoroughly  agitated 
and  allowed  to  stand  at  the  temperature  of  the  blood  for  four 
hours  after  which  time  it  was  filtered  through  a  Berkefeld  filter, 
and  2  c.c.  of  the  bacteria-free  immunizing  filtrate  injected 
subcutaneously  at  7  p.m.  The  patient  reported  the  next  day 
over  the  'phone  that  three  hours  after  the  injection  he  was  able 
to  lie  down  and  had  slept  better  than  he  had  for  over  a  week. 


274  AUTOTHERAPY 

He  received  four  hypodermic  injections  four  days  apart,  when 
he  had  so  far  improved  that  the  writer  recommended  that  he 
go  to  the  country.  At  his  last  visit  Dr.  ]McM.  showed  the 
writer  a  series  of  urinary  analysis  that  had  been  made  daily, 
since  his  treatment  was  begun.  To  the  last  one  his  pathologist 
had  appended  a  footnote  stating  that  the  albumen  and  casts 
in  his  urine  had  improved  so  remarkably  during  the  past  four 
weeks  that  he  would  suggest  the  treatment  Dr.  McM.  was 
receiving  be  continued.  The  pathologist  did  not  know  what 
treatment  the  patient  was  receiving. 

Case  208.  Patient,  male,  age  42  years,  an  Armenian,  family 
history  negative,  presented  himself  for  treatment  July,  1914. 
The  symptoms  he  complained  of  were  swelling  of  the  feet  and 
legs,  general  weakness  and  frequent  urination.  A  sample  of 
his  urine  was  sent  to  Bendinger  &  Schlesinger  for  analysis  and 
the  report  showed  that  it  contained  granular  and  hyaline  casts 
with  a  large  amount  of  albumen.  Specific  gravity  loio,  with 
an  accompany  diagnosis  of  acute  febrile  nephritis.  The  writer 
upon  questioning  him  elicited  the  fact  that  he  was  suffering 
with  a  chronic  catarrhal  condition  of  the  respiratory  tract, 
and  spat  up  a  large  quantity  of  mucus  that  was  especially  free 
in  the  morning  upon  rising.  Treatment. — The  patient  was  in- 
structed to  take  a  high  colonic  irrigation  daily,  and  to  be  sure 
at  each  operation  that  the  lower  bowels  were  free  from  fecal 
accumulation.  He  was  instructed  to  take  a  hot  tub  bath  daily, 
and  placed  on  the  following  diet :  half  a  glass  of  certified 
milk  every  half-hour  with  orange  juice  ad  libitum,  with  sugar 
daily  in  the  form  of  a  few  chocolate  caramels.  A  filtrate  was 
made  from  the  mucus  from  his  respiratory  tract  in  the  usual 
autotherapeutic  manner.  He  received  a  hypodermic  injection 
oi  lYz  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  every  five  days  and  rapidly  improved 
in  every  way,  the  swelling  of  his  feet  disappearing  within  ten 
days  while  the  desire  to  urinate  became  less  frequent.  His 
color  improved,  he  felt  better  in  everj'  way  and  at  the  end  of 
thirty  days  another  analysis  of  his  urine  was  made  and  the 
latter  found  free  from  casts  with  but  a  slight  trace  of  albumen. 
Specific  gravity  now  1016  with  the  quantity  of  mucus  so  dimin- 
ished as  to  be  hardly  noticeable.  After  fifteen  days  more  he 
stopped  treatment,  saying  he  was  well  again,  and  had  resumed 
his  work  as  a  carpenter. 


URINE  AS  AN  AUTOTHERAPEUTIC  REMEDY    275 

Case  209.  Patient,  female,  age  14  years,  came  down  with 
an  acute  attack  of  nephritis  following  measles,  complaining  of 
lassitude,  high  nervous  tension  and  frequent  call  for  urina- 
tion. When  first  seen  by  the  writer  her  feet  were  swollen 
to  the  knees  and  there  were  bags  of  swelling  beneath  the  eyes. 
The  urine  analysis  showed  a  high  per  cent,  of  albumen  with 
granular  and  hyaline  casts.  The  adjuvant  treatment  was  the 
same  as  in  Case  208 — a  milk,  orange  juice  and  sugar  diet,  with 
hot  baths  and  high  colonic  irrigations  daily.  Within  a  week 
the  swellings  disappeared  and  there  was  less  frequent  urina- 
tion. She  received  at  weekly  intervals  six  hypodermic  injec- 
tions of  the  filtrate  of  mucus  from  the  respiratory  tract  and 
so  far  improved  that  the  mother  believing  the  child  had  recov- 
ered stopped  the  treatment  (this  was  two  years  ago).  She  has 
had  no  treatment  since  and  at  the  present  time  is  apparently 
well. 

Case  210.  Dr.  R.  L.  Rierson,  of  Oakland,  Cal.,  reports  the 
f ollowng  case : 

"  Patient,  an  old  lady,  age  83  years,  had  been  suffering  with 
Bright's  disease  for  many  years.  Her  legs  were  swollen, 
and  with  her  other  symptoms  life  was  unbearable.  By  the 
use  of  urine,  according  to  Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapy,  she 
improved,  was  made  comfortable,  and  no  longer  wanted  to 
die.  She  is  not  well  and  never  will  be,  but  it  is  certain  that 
here  is  a  new  therapeutic  agent  with  wonderful  undeveloped 
possibilities." 


CHAPTER  XII 

BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  AND  OTHER  NON- 
PURULENT SEROUS  FLUIDS 

Within  the  past  ten  years  much  has  been  written  on  the 
subject  of  blood  serum  as  a  therapeutic  agent. 

Blood  may  be  divided  into  two  classes, — autogenous  and 
heterogenous.  The  former  will  be  considered  only,  as  it  alone 
demands  our  attention  at  present. 

Dr.  Frederick  M.  Dearborn,  Professor  of  Dermatology  of 
the  New  York  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  and  Flower 
Hospital,  say  in  an  article  under  the  title  of  "  Autogenous 
Serum  as  a  Dermal  Therapeutic  Agent  "  that  appeared  in  the 
North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy:  "  The  first  use 
of  blood  in  our  own  country  was  by  Gottheil  and  Sattenstein, 
who  reported  in  1914,  on  the  results  of  the  use  of  autogenous 
serum.  Since  then  a  few  definite  reports  have  been  made  as 
the  result  of  real  painstaking  labors  (I  refer  notably  to  fur- 
ther reports  of  the  same  authors  and  of  those  of  Howard  Fox 
and  Hilario),  although  blood  had  been  used  as  a  therapeutic 
agent  in  Europe  much  earlier.  In  the  cases  reported  by  the 
above  authors,  fresh  autogenous  serum  was  used.  All  of  these 
contributions  deal  with  supposed  theories  underlying  the  action 
of  the  serum  and  cite  clinical  cases  treated,  with  the  amount  of 
serums  used;  also  the  frequency  of  injections  and  results  in 
cases  with  external  applications. 

"  In  fact,  chrysarobin  ointment  2  to  10  per  cent,  had  been 
used  in  practically  all  of  the  psoriatics.  Gottheil  reports  on 
the  satisfactory  treatment  of  3  cases  of  eczema,  6  of  psoriasis 
and  I  of  leprosy,  and  states  that  the  aforesaid  results  from 

376 


BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  277 

serum  treatment  were  more  noticeable  in  psoriasis  cases;  and 
later  that  the  results  in  12  cases  of  psoriasis  had  been  uni- 
formly satisfactory.  Howard  Fox  gave  an  interesting  report  of 
28  cases  varying  in  age  from  11  to  54  years,  1 1  being  in  males 
and  17  in  females ;  with  the  exception  of  2,  all  were  ambulatory 
and  mostly  dispensary  cases.  The  duration  of  the  disease 
varied  from  2  to  45  years,  the  interval  between  injections 
two  to  five  days,  and  in  all  but  one  case  at  least,  three  in- 
jections were  given.  He  claims  that  the  best  proof  of  the 
virtue  of  the  above  serum  and  local  treatment  was  seen  in 
the  responsive  behavior  of  certain  cases  which  had,  at  some 
previous  time,  been  treated  unsuccessfully  -vith  applications 
of  chrysarobin  alone.  Fox's  conclusion  may  be  summarized  by 
saying  that  he  considered  autogenous  serum  valuable  as  an 
adjunct  to  chrysarobin  in  the  treatment  of  psoriasis,  but  of 
no  value  used  alone ;  that  the  injections  are  harmless  if  the 
proper  technic  is  used  and  that  the  latter  is  comparatively 
simple.  Hilario  reports  13  cases  treated  with  fresh  auto- 
genous serum  as  follows :  one  of  the  hydroa  aestivale,  three 
of  dermatitis  herpetiformis,  one  of  lichen  planus,  four  of 
psoriasis,  two  of  urticaria  and  one  of  epidermolysis  bullosa. 
He  delves  into  the  theoretical  basis  of  his  good  results  and 
quotes  liberally  of  the  various  theories.  His  conclusions  are 
interesting  in  that  he  treated  other  diseases  besides  psoriasis 
and  believes  that  autogenous  serums  are  excellent  as  anti- 
pruritics, may  spontaneously  cause  involution  of  actinic  and 
neurotic  dermatoses,  as  well  as  those  proven  to  be  irresponsive 
to  chemical  medication.  Further  he  points  out  a  safe  technic 
with  no  clinical  reaction.  Concerning  psoriasis  he  claims  that 
the  resistance  of  the  psoriatic  lesions  is  reduced  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  weak  chrysarobin  ointments  (2  per  cent,  to  3 
per  cent.)  work  readily  but  the  earlier  their  application  the 
quicker  the  lesions  will  disappear. 


278  AUTOTHERAPY 

"  It  must  not  be  gathered  from  my  review  of  Fox's  and 
Hilario's  reports  that  they  alone  are  doing  this  work  because  a 
number  of  American  dermatologists,  as  well  as  such  a  master  as 
Neisser  of  Breslau,  and  others  on  the  continent,  have  been 
actively  engaged  in  it. 

"  This  long  preamble  is  necessary  because  the  subject  is 
only  in  its  infancy  and  needs  vigorous  backing  to  explain  my 
own  experiments.  These  wholly  concern  clinical  results  and 
bear  no  relation  to  theories.  My  cases  number  first  to  last, 
26,  but  six  must  be  ignored  because  they  discontinued 
treatment  for  one  or  more  good  reasons.  These  were  treated 
at  least  three  times  at  an  interval  of  a  week  (in  a  few  instances 
one  day  more  or  less),  with  an  average  injection  of  20  c.c.  of 
fresh  autogenous  serum.  All  the  diseases  treated  ought  to  be 
termed  chronic  or  at  least  persistently  recurrent.  They  em- 
braced one  of  pompholyx,  two  of  pemphigus,  two  of  der- 
matitis herpetiformis,  four  of  urticaria,  two  of  eczema,  two 
of  pruritus  generalis,  and  seven  of  psoriasis  (duration  from 
3  to  20  years).  The  last  named  all  presented  marked  itching, 
due  no  doubt  for  the  most  part  to  the  seborrheic  involvement 
and  further  they  were  not  cases  presenting  localized  lesions 
but  generalized  (apart  from  the  scalp).  I  discontinued  all 
internal  and  external  treatment  for  a  period  of  two  weeks 
previous  to  the  serum  therapy  and  during  the  treatment 
thereof.  This  procedure  was  in  contradistinction  to  other  in- 
vestigators. The  only  external  treatment  employed  during  the 
period  of  injection  consisted  of  castor  oil,  vaseline  or  ung. 
rosae,  all  non-medicated.  Thus  I  believed  it  could  be  deter- 
mined just  what  the  autogenous  serum  is  worth  by  affirmation 
rather  than  by  negation,  as  in  cases  treated  externally  first  and 
later  subjected  to  both  serum  and  external  means.  Since  this 
series  of  experiments  covering  a  period  of  six  months  further 
autogenous  treatments  have  demonstrated  the  superiority  of  a 


BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  279 

mild  external  application  (not  chrysarobin  alone)  in  the  cases 
of  pruritus  generalis,  eczema  and  psoriasis,  and  of  dietary 
regulations.  All  experienced  relief  of  the  varying  and  char- 
acteristic subjective  sensations  except  one  case  of  eczema  and 
one  of  psoriasis.  The  lesions  were  not  notably  influenced 
per  se  but  the  patent  fact  of  relief  from  scratching  is  no  mean 
factor  in  the  course  of  dermatitis  herpetiformis,  urticaria, 
eczema,  pruritus  and  psoriasis.  Correspondingly  the  appetite, 
sleep  and  general  health  were  benefited,  six  of  the  cases  in- 
creasing in  weight,  4  to  10  lbs.  in  two  months'  time. 

"  Experience  in  giving  intravenous  injections  is  an  aid  to  the 
technic  which  Spiethofif  has  sufficiently  outlined.  There  is, 
however,  a  certain  amount  of  elaboration  possible  and  if  this 
increases  efficiency  either  as  regards  safety,  rapidity  or  ulti- 
mate relief,  it  is  well  worth  while. 

"  Everything  must  be  perfectly  sterile,  the  McCrae  needle,  , 
the  50  c.c.  cylindrical  glass  container,  the  30  c.c  glass  syringe  i 
and  the  connecting  rubber  tube.  About  50  c.c.  of  blood  are  I 
drawn  oflf  from  the  cubital  vein  and  electrically  centrifuged  1 
until  the  serum  is  well  separated  from  the  sediment  of  cor-  ) 
puscles  and  fibrin.  The  number  of  revolutions  per  minute  nee-  ( 
essary  to  properly  centrifuge  will  depend  upon  the  apparatus 
used  and  the  necessity  for  haste;  I  have  varied  it  from  1,800 
to  2,400  per  minute,  but  the  lower  speed  is  preferable.  I  have 
mentioned  the  time  necessary  for  the  complete  operation,  but 
quickness  should  not  be  the  main  object.  There  are  undoubt- 
edly advantages  in  having  the  blood  well  coagulated  before  pro- 
ceeding to  centrifuge,  because  if  desired,  a  greater  amount  of 
serum  may  be  obtained  and  then  there  is  little  chance  of  me- 
chanical hemolysis.  The  serum  should  be  clear,  greenish-yellow 
without  precipitates,  and  if  all  aseptic  measures  are  observed 
should  not  cause  clinical  reactions  as  noted  by  Mayer  and 
Linser.    I  have  not  seen  any  of  importance.    It  is  possible  a 


28o  AUTOTHERAPY 

short  period  of  rest  should  be  given  after  the  injection  of  which 
ten  to  twenty  minims  is  sufficient.  It  is  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary, but  those  nervously  inclined  or  apprehensive,  enjoy  the 
respite. 

"  Data  concerning  individual  cases  I  purposely  omit,  because 
I  do  not  wish  to  obscure  the  main  object  of  this  record  of  my 
clinical  deductions,  by  adding  unnecessarily  to  the  length  of 
the  report.  If  it  be  permissible  to  draw  conclusions  from 
such  a  small  number  of  cases,  carefully  avoiding  reference  to 
my  later  but  unfinished  experiments  with  the  combined  serum 
and  external  medical  agents,  I  can  offer  the  following." 

Dr.  Dearborn  concluded  his  article  by  stating  that  this  treat- 
ment is  simple  in  its  application  and  is  safe  if  ordinary  pre- 
cautions are  taken ;  that  no  recognizable  reactions  may  be  ex- 
pected beyond  an  occasional  erythema  or  a  transient  urticaria. 
The  patient's  general  health  may  be  markedly  benefited  as 
noted  by  improved  sleep  and  appetite  and  increased  bodily 
weight. 

Autogenous  serum  should  be  considered  for  any  itching 
dermatosis  but  Dr.  Dearborn  does  not  consider  that  it  should 
be  given  preference  over  simpler  means  until  the  latter  fail. 

Dr.  Dearborn  has  been  quoted  at  length  for  several  rea- 
sons,— first,  on  account  of  the  high  position  he  occupies  in  the 
medical  world — he  is  known  to  be  scientific  and  conservative. 
Second,  he  is  bold  enough  to  assert  that  he  had  ob- 
tained good  clinical  results  and  entirely  disregarded  the  sup- 
posed theories  underlying  the  action  of  the  serum.  His  clini- 
cal observations  will  go  far  in  substantiating  the  writer's  work 
in  the  use  of  other  unmodified  body  secretions  and  excretions 
and  will  tend  to  establish  confidence  in  the  minds  of  inquiring 
physicians. 

Third,  because  the  writer  owes  much  to  Dr.  Dearborn  for 
moral  support  in  the  early  days  of  the  development  of  Auto- 


BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  281 

therapy  when  his  friends  were  indifferent  and  his  enemies 
made  travesty  of  truth.  It  will  be  noted  that  Dr.  Dearborn 
confines  himself  to  the  application  of  blood-serum  in  skin  dis- 
eases alone.  This  is  but  natural  since  he  is  an  eminent  skin 
specialist.  Blood-serum  as  a  therapeutic  agent,  however,  has 
a  far  wider  usage  than  in  skin  diseases  and  the  writer  employs 
it  successfully  in  a  number  of  patients  suffering  with  a  variety 
of  diseases  due  to  bacterial  infection.  Many  conditions 
diagnosed  indifferently  as  autointoxication  are  amenable  to 
this  treatment. 

The  technic  the  writer  employs  in  using  blood  as  a  thera- 
peutic agent  is  as  follows : 

Under  strictly  aseptic  precaution,  about  30  c.c.  of  blood  are 
drawn  from  the  median  basilic  vein.  The  old-fashioned  tour- 
niquet is  found  to  be  most  convenient  in  shutting  off  venous 
circulation  it  is  tightened  till  the  radial  pulse  ceases.  It  is 
then  loosened  just  sufficient  to  feel  the  pulse  at  the  wrist  (the 
venous  circulation  having  been  stopped).  Have  the  patient 
open  and  close  his  hands  several  times  in  succession ;  this  will 
cause  the  veins  to  stand  out  prominently,  facilitating  the  act  of 
penetrating  the  vein. 

Where  centrifugalization  is  employed  the  fluid  is  caught  in 
a  sterile  centrifuge  container;  it  is  covered  then  with  sterile; 
gauze  and  allowed  to  stand  in  a  moderately  cool  place  for  about 
twelve   hours;   after   which   time   it   is   centrifuged.      If   the; 
physician  does  not  possess  a  centrifuge  the  fluid  is  allowed  toi 
stand  from  twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours,  when  it  is  found' 
that  the  clot  will  separate  leaving  a  sufficient  supply  of  serum. 
From  5  to  10  drops  are  added  to  i  ounce  of  distilled  water;', 
this  is  thoroughly  agitated ;  and  is  then  filtered  through  a  Berk-l 
feld  filter  and  the  filtrate  is  ready  for  use.    The  dose  is  from! 
5  to  15  c.c.  subcutaneously.     The  writer  usually  makes  twoj 
or  more  ounces  of  this  filtrate  before  the  treatment  is  begun,  i 
Some  patients  will  require  very  much  smaller  doses  than  this,  i 
even  to  the  higher  dilutions.     When  improvement  does  not/ 
follow  when  the  dose  given  above  is  employed  in  conditions  we 
know  are  usually  amenable  to  Autotherapy,  the  6th  to  the 


I 


282  AUTOTHERAPY 

loth  c.c.  dilution  is  then  made — if  it  is  decided  to  give  it  in 
pill  form,  the  last  dilution  is  made  with  alcohol — 85  per  cent. 
This  alcohol  may  then  be  poured  over  sugar  of  milk  pills  and 
given  to  the  patient  according  to  his  needs.  One  method  of 
giving  the  pills  is  to  give  two  of  them  every  hour,  for 
six  to  ten  doses  when  the  medication  is  discontinued  for  two 
or  three  days  and  the  effect  is  watched.  The  best  results  are 
believed  to  be  obtained  when  the  filtrate  used  is  made  before 
any  injection  is  given. 

The  advantages  of  the  writer's  technic  in  administering 
serum  over  the  method  now  in  use,  is  outlined  fully  in  the 
chapter  under  the  title  of  "  The  Filtrate."  It  may  not  be  out 
of  place  to  mention  briefly  here  again,  these  advantages,  for 
this  technic  based  on  scientific  knowledge  of  immunity  con- 
trasts boldly  with  the  present  method  of  employing  the  serum, 
which  needs  only  to  be  mentioned  to  have  its  advantages 
readily  understood  and  appreciated.  When  any  active  im- 
munizing therapeutic  agent  is  given  we  expect  reaction  in  the 
tissues.  When  a  toxin  or  vaccine  directed  against  microorgan- 
isms within  the  patient's  body  is  given  with  the  intention  of 
modifying  their  activity,  we  expect  to  arouse  forces  in  the 
tissues  or  antibodies  that  tend  to  develop  resistance  to  them 
to  check  their  further  activity.  We  believe  the  toxins  and 
the  antitoxins  of  a  microorganism  in  a  patient's  body  are 
found  in  all  of  the  secretions  of  the  body.  After  the  first 
therapeutic  injection  of  an  autogenous  serum  is  given,  the 
aggressins  are  checked  by  the  development  of  antiaggressins, 
in  the  tissues,  and  the  toxins  in  the  patient's  body,  according  to 
Buchner  and  Bail,  are  not  as  rich  in  aggressins  as  they  were 
before  any  injection  was  given ;  consequently  when  given  as  a 
remedy  they  would  not  develop  in  the  tissues  the  same  quality 
of  antiaggressins  as  would  the  toxins  obtained  before  any 
injection  is  given,  for  this  reason  the  writer  obtains  a 
relatively  large  amount  of  serum  before  any  injection  is  given. 


BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  283 

This  is  diluted  with  water  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve 
hours,  for  several  reasons,  namely,  the  serum  alone  will  not 
pass  readily  through  the  filter.  Second,  the  properly  diluted 
serum  in  larger  doses  appears  to  be  as  efficacious  as  the  non- 
diluted  serum.  Third,  for  the  reason  that  the  filtered  dilu- 
tion of  the  serum  will  keep  for  several  weeks  if  strict  aseptic 
precautions  are  taken.  Let  us  repeat  for  the  sake  of  clear- 
ness:— The  sample  of  blood  obtained  before  any  injection  is 
given,  being  rich  in  aggressins,  will  at  each  injection,  tend  to 
develop  antiaggressins  in  the  tissues.  A  serum  obtained  from 
the  patient  after  several  injections  have  been  given,  obviously 
will  not  be  so  rich  in  aggressins  for  these  have  been  modified 
by  previous  injections  and  the  antibodies  developed  in  the 
tissues  in  response  to  them  will  not  be  so  therapeutically  active. 
This  holds  true  for  practically  all  of  the  autogenous  serums 
and  other  autotherapeutic  remedies.  There  are,  however, 
additional  advantages  of  no  mean  value  that  arise  from 
this  technic, — one  is,  its  great  convenience.  The  toxins 
are  preserved  in  a  sterile  bottle  on  the  shelf,  thus  rendering 
all  subsequent  injections  far  more  convenient  than  the  present 
method  of  obtaining  and  preparing  the  serums. 

The  Hahnemannian  Monthly  of  September,  19 14,  contains 
an  article  by  Dr.  Donald  McFarlan,  in  which  he  cites  a  num- 
ber of  cases  of  diabetes  mellitus  that  were  treated  successfully, 
by  the  internal  administration  of  a  dilution  of  the  patient's  own 
blood ;  no  other  therapeutic  measures  were  instituted,  except 
that  a  moderate  sugar  and  starch  diet  was  given. 

One  of  the  great  arguments  in  favor  of  Autotherapy  is,  so 
many  have  tried  lately  to  incorporate  it  as  their  own ;  some 
have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  give  it  a  name.  These  have  not 
been  taken  seriously,  for  by  simply  referring  to  the  literature 
on  the  subject  it  is  easily  proved  their  claims  were  antedated 
by  years. 


284  AUTOTHERAPY 

Except  in  acute  diseases,  blood-serum  appears  to  be  more 
superficial  in  its  action  on  the  tissues  than  the  filtrate  of  a 
dilution  of  the  pathogenic  exudate — only  occasionally  is  the 
reverse  of  this  statement  true. 

Blister-Serum 

The  serum  made  from  a  blister  obtained  from  an  ordinary 
cantharides  plaster  has  also  a  wide  range  of  therapeutic  action. 
It  appears  to  be  similar  in  its  action  on  the  tissues  to  that  of 
blood-serum. 

The  cases  treated  by  the  subcutaneous  injection  of  blister- 
serum,  are  given  under  the  heading  of  the  various  diseases 
where  it  has  been  employed.  Slight  mention  will  be  made  of 
this  treatment  at  present,  except  that  the  technic  of  its  appli- 
cation is  given. 

Blister-serum  is  an  autotherapeutic  remedy.  This  assertion 
is  made  because  the  writer  believes  blister-serum  was  employed 
first  by  him.  In  the  final  analysis  all  autogenous  unmodified 
toxic  substances  successfully  employed  in  therapy  are  auto- 
therapeutic remedies,  whether  the  writer  was  the  first  to  em- 
ploy them  or  not.  The  writer  was  not  the  first  to  employ 
blood  as  a  therapeutic  agent.  The  technic  for  the  employment 
of  blister-serum  is  as  follows : 

The  patient  should  be  placed  in  bed  and  a  square  inch  of 
cantharides  plaster  placed  over  an  area  of  the  chest  or  abdomen 
that  had  been  previously  thoroughly  cleansed  with  alcohol. 
When  the  blister  contains  sufficient  serum,  a  hypodermic  needle, 
under  strict  aseptic  precautions  is  inserted  into  it  and  the 
contents  of  the  bleb  drawn  into  the  syringe.  A  few  drops  of 
this  serum  is  injected  at  once  hypodermatically  and  the  re- 
mainder (from  5  to  lo  drops)  is  placed  in  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve  hours,  with  occa- 
sional agitation;  after  which  time  it  is  filtered  in  the  usual 
manner  and  the  filtrate  kept  for  further  use.  About  2  c.c.  is 
the  average  dose  to  be  injected  subcutaneously. 


BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  285 

The  disadvantage  of  employing  blister-serum  lies  in  the  fact 
that  in  some  acute  conditions  the  interval  of  time  elapsing 
before  the  serum  is  available  is  so  great  that  the  patient  may 
not,  with  safety,  wait  for  the  injection.  The  blood-serum  can 
usually  be  obtained  quickly  by  centrifugalization.  This  disad- 
vantage may  be  partially  overcome  if  some  of  the  serum  from 
the  bleb  is  injected  at  once,  and  the  remainder  diluted  and  fil- 
tered in  the  manner  previously  described.  The  filtered  dilution 
will  keep  for  several  weeks  if  strict  aseptic  precaution  in  its 
preparation  is  maintained. 

The  filtrate  of  both  blood-  and  blister-serum  prepared  in  the 
manner  described  in  the  preceding  paragraphs,  should  be  in- 
jected according  to  the  needs  of  the  patient.  This  usually  is 
on  every  second  or  third  day.  From  i  to  4  c.c.  is  the  usual 
dose^. 

Case  211.  Patient,  R.  A.,  age  38  years,  referred  by  Dr. 
Diefifenbach,  was  suflFering  with  a  most  severe  case  of  acne 
vulgaris  on  the  chin  and  neck,  with  a  few  scattered  pimples 
over  the  face.  The  condition  was  most  troublesome  and  had 
resisted  many  forms  of  treatment  for  upward  of  a  year.  To 
hide  the  condition  the  patient  had  grown  a  beard  over  the  chin 
and  neck,  and  in  the  mornings  there  was  a  mat  of  hair  and 
pus  present  that  gave  the  patient  a  most  unsightly  appearance. 
Treatment — An  ounce  of  blood  was  drawn  from  the  median 
basilic  vein  and  allowed  to  clot  for  twenty-four  hours ;  after 
which  time  2  c.c.  of  the  serum  was  mixed  with  an  ounce  of 
distilled  water  and  filtered  in  the  usual  manner.  Of  this  he 
was  given  a  subcutaneous  injection  of  2  c.c.  The  improve- 
ment was  immediate  and  striking.  After  three  days  he 
was  given  another  injection  of  the  same  toxins.  The  improve- 
ment continued.  In  forty-eight  hours  the  third  injection  was 
given.  At  the  end  of  a  week  from  the  time  the  first  treatment 
was  given  the  patient  had  practically  recovered,  as  there  were 
no  signs  of  pus  and  but  few  signs  of  induration  and  redness. 

If  the  serum  had  not  been  filtered  it  would  have  decomposed 
and  been  unfit  for  further  injection.    The  first  injection  might 


286  AUTOTHERAPY 

have  been  given  without  fihration  but  to  attempt  to  give  a 
second  or  third  injection  with  this  unfihered  serum  would  have 
been  positively  dangerous,  as  the  serum  is  a  most  excellent 
culture  media. 

A  weak  solution  of  the  serum  may  be  preserved  in  glycerine 
without  detracting  from  its  therapeutic  qualities.  If  it  is 
desired  to  give  an  alcoholic  preparation  of  say  the  30th 
dilution,  hypodermatically,  it  should  be  run  up  on  the  cen- 
tesimal scale  two  dilutions  higher,  with  sterile  water.  Then 
if  there  is  added  to  it  sodium  chloride  sufficient  to  make  it  an 
isotonic  or  physiological  solution  it  may  be  injected  subcuta- 
neously  with  the  minimum  amount  of  discomfort. 

Case  212.  Patient,  female,  age  45  years,  applied  for  treat- 
ment through  her  husband  and  sister  who  led  her  into  my 
office.  She  had  always,  previous  to  her  present  illness,  been 
a  healthy  individual,  was  married  and  had  three  children,  the 
youngest  of  whom  was  ten  years  old.  About  two  years  ago 
she  moved  from  the  country  to  the  city  and  has  never  adapted 
herself  to  the  new  environment.  There  was  no  history  of  in- 
sanity or  tuberculosis ;  her  blood  was  negative.  About  a  year 
ago  she  began  to  show  symptoms  of  great  nervousness ;  this 
has  been  gradually  increasing  up  to  the  present  time,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  she  had  been  under  the  care  of  three  physi- 
cians. When  first  seen  by  the  writer  she  was  in  constant  fear 
and  dread  of  being  murdered,  although  her  husband  and 
family  were  kind  and  indulging.  On  the  street  she  feared 
any  one  who  came  close  to  her;  she  would  stand  in  the  door- 
way from  the  time  her  little  boy  went  to  school  until  he  re- 
turned, fearing  some  one  would  kidnap  him.  Her  features 
were  set  and  she  avoided  catching  the  eye  of  any  one.  •  She 
would  pick  at  imaginary  specks  on  her  clothes  and  in  the  air; 
and  was  afraid  to  sleep.  She  spoke  only  Italian  and  these 
symptoms  were  elicited  through  an  interpreter.  One-half 
ounce  of  blood  was  drawn  from  the  median  basilic  vein,  and 
she  was  told  next  day  to  bring  in  a  sample  of  her  urine.  The 
blood  was  allowed  to  clot  slightly  and  was  centrifugalized. 
Two  c.c.  of  serum  were  mixed  with  an  ounce  of  distilled 


BLOOD  AND  BLISTER  SERUM  287 

water  and  allowed  to  stand  at  room  temperature  for  twelve 
hours ;  after  which  time  it  was  filtered  and  4  c.c.  of  the  filtrate 
injected  subcutaneously,  on  the  succeeding  day.  The  sample 
of  urine  brought  in  on  the  second  visit  looked  like  a  thick  solu- 
tion of  mud.  It  contained  an  excess  of  indican  and  a  marked 
trace  of  albumen.  One-half  ounce  of  this  urine  was  mixed 
with  equal  parts  of  alcohol  and  colored  slightly  with  liquid 
peptonoids ;  she  was  given  this  with  instructions  to  take  10 
drops  in  a  little  water  three  times  a  day,  before  meals.  She 
was  also  instructed  to  take  a  hot  bath  and  an  enema  every 
night.  In  forty-eight  hours  she  returned ;  there  was  decided 
improvement,  she  having  slept  better  and  eaten  better,  and  she 
smiled  slightly,  a  thing  she  had  not  done  for  upwards  of  a 
year.  She  progressively  improved  in  ever}^-  way.  At  the  end 
of  ten  days  another  sample  of  her  urine  was  obtained.  At 
the  end  of  the  fourth  day  she  was  not  feeling  so  well,  then 
the  medication  was  withheld  for  twenty-four  hours.  She  was 
then  put  on  10  drops,  once  daily.  She  received  a  hypodermic 
of  blood  in  the  manner  suggested,  on  alternate  days.  The 
second  sample  of  urine  was  a  pale  straw  color,  transparent, 
with  little  or  no  sediment  after  standing  six  hours.  It  showed 
much  improvement.  The  patient  claims  she  is  well  but  will 
be  treated  in  a  similar  manner  for  two  weeks  more.  There 
was  general  rejoicing  in  the  household,  as  the  little  girl  six- 
teen years  old  said,  "  Mama  has  come  back  to  us."  It  is  too 
early  to  state  that  this  condition  will  be  permanent,  but  here 
is  improvement  of  the  most  decided  kind  within  ten  days,  in  a 
patient  who  had  resisted  the  treatment  of  three  other  physi- 
cians. 

In  the  year  1912,  Dr.  Clement  A.  Shute,  of  Pottstown,  Pa., 
reported  he  treated  many  patients  suffering  with  infectious  dis- 
eases successfully,  by  the  use  of  serum  obtained  from  can- 
tharides  plaster ;  since  then  many  physicians  report  having  used 
this  serum  successfully,  notably  in  pneumonia  and  in  eruptive 
diseases.  In  further  substantiation  of  the  claims  of  the  writer 
as  to  the  great  therapeutic  value  of  blister-serum,  there  ap- 
peared in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Association,  of  May 


288  AUTOTHERAPY 

8,  191 5,  an  article  by  Dr.  William  Lee  Secor  and  Dr.  E. 
E.  Palmer,  who  report  having  treated  several  cases  of  pel- 
lagra successfully  by  the  injection  of  serum  obtained  from 
a  blister  produced  on  the  body  of  the  patient  by  the  use  of 
cantharides  plaster. 

In  an  article  appearing  in  the  Medical  Record,  March  30, 
1918,  under  the  title  of  "  Autosensitized  Foreign  Protein," 
Dr.  Secor  states :  "  Since  then  we  have  ourselves  treated  and 
received  reports  of  treatment  of  hundreds  of  cases  of  pellagra 
with  the  most  gratifying  results.  It  is  more  potent  therapeu- 
tically in  pellagra,  than  any  other  foreign  protein." 

A  utoserotherapy 

Dr.  E.  A.  Pierce,  in  the  Northwest  Medicine,  of  August, 
1914,  states  in  an  article  under  the  title  of  *'  Autoserotherapy  " 
that  "  DQrland_dg|iaes  autoserotherapy  as  the  tT£aimentof^^ 
disease  of  a  part  by  serum  derived  from  the  part.  It  was  said 
originally  to  have  been  done  by  Gilbert  of  *  Geneva  in  1894, 
but  the  subject  was  apparently  neglected.  However,  of  late 
the  medical  press  has  been  reviving  it  to  a  notable  extent.  I 
believe  the  time  is  coming  for  the  formal  recognition  of  Auto- 
serotherapy as  an  efficient  means  of  treating  ^non-piirulent 
effusions  in  serous  cavities.  In  the  beginning  Gilbert  had 
thought  only  of  applying  this  new  method  of  treatment  to 
pleurisy  of  a  tuberculous  nature  but  he  has  since  found  that  all 
serofibrinous  pleurisy  is  amenable  to  autoserotherapy,  and  the 
truth  of  these  opinions  has  been  confirmed  by  most  physicians 

*  Gilbert's  Technic. — Gilbert,  in  1894,  states :  "  In  cases  of  pleural  and 
peritonital  effusions,  small  quantities  (i  to  10  cc.)  of  the  serous  fluid 
are  aspirated  and  the  needle  is  withdrawn  as  far  as  the  subcutaneous 
tissues  where  the  fluid  is  injected.  The  usual  result  is  diuresis  and 
a  rapid  absorption  of  the  fluid  and  local  reaction  follows.  The  fluid 
usually  disappears  in  from  three  to  four  days." — June  3,  191 1,  London 
Lancet.  t  The  italics  are  ours. 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  289 

who  have  used  this  method.  It  is  also  applicable  to  effusions 
into  other  serous  cavities.  Besides  Gilbert's  methods  of  re- 
injecting the  subcutaneous  tissues  there  have  been  used  methods 
of  connecting  the  serous  cavities  directly  with  the  venous  cir- 
culation, or  with  subcutaneous  tissues,  resulting  in  either  case 
in  auto-drainage — a  modification  of  autoserotherapy. 

Pleurisy 

"  A  most  comprehensive  article  by  Fishberg  appeared  early 
in  1913.  He  quotes  Gilbert  as  stating,  at  the  International 
Medical  Congress  in  Rome  in  1894,  that  since  1891,  he  (Gil- 
bert), has  been  treating  tuberculous  pleurisy  with  effusion  by 
subcutaneous  injection  of  a  small  amount  of  the  fluid  with- 
drawn from  the  pleural  cavity.  He  notes  that  within  a 
few  days  the  pleural  exudate  disappears  and  the  patient 
recovers. 

"  This  method  seems  to  have  been  forgotten  but  during 
recent  years  various  European  clinics  have  been  sending  out 
reports  which  tend  to  show  that  it  possesses  great  merit.  Gil- 
bert strongly  urges  its  general  adoption  by  the  profession  in 
properly  selected  cases.  He  reports  that  this  method  was 
based  on  researches  made  in  1890  and  1891  by  Debove  and 
Reymond.  George  Eisner  has  shown  quite  conclusively  by 
recently  performed  animal  experiments  that  this  mode  of  treat- 
ment stands  upon  scientific  basis.  From  Eisner's  experiments 
it  appears  that  it  is  the  subcutaneous  injection  of  the  fluid 
that  is  responsible  for  the  absorption  of  the  exudate  and  that 
it  is  not  due  simply  to  the  withdrawal  of  the  fluid  mechanically 
stimulating  absorption." 

"  Fishberg  reports  twelve  cases  of  pleurisy  with  effusion  and 
while  not  claiming  it  is  specific,  he  believes  it  has  sufficient 
merit  to  warrant  its  more  general  adoption.  Within  twenty- 
four  hours  after  the  injections  the  general  condition  of  the 


290  AUTOTHERAPY 

patient  improves ;  diuresis  is  increased  and  the  dyspnea  is  less 
marked.  A  physical  examination  shows  that  the  upper  level 
of  the  fluid  is  lowered  and  within  a  week  or  ten  days  no  fluid 
at  all  can  be  discovered.  By  the  use  of  this  method  there  is 
less  likelihood  of  the  formation  of  large  fibrous  bands  so 
common  after  aspiration  of  fluid  from  the  chest  which  lead  to 
discomforts  later  in  life.  This  method  of  treatment  has  ap- 
parently no  effects  on  the  original  condition  as  the  case  con- 
tinues to  improve  as  if  there  had  been  no  pleurisy.  In  many 
cases  a  single  injection  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  effect  a  cure ; 
in  others  the  procedure  must  be  repeated  several  times  before 
the  fluid  is  completely  absorbed ;  while  in  some  few  cases  auto- 
serotherapy  appears  to  be  of  no  use  at  all.  No  dangerous  or 
even  threatening  symptoms  have  ever  been  observed  by  any 
one  who  has  tried  this  method  of  treatment  and  it  may,  there- 
fore, be  considered  altogether  harmless. 

Case   213.     "  An    interesting   case    was    that    of    a   young 
man  of  twenty-five,  who  came  to  Fishberg's  office  for  advice 
^'concerning  the  suggestion  given  him  by  a  physician,  that  he 
/must  leave  for  the  mountains  because  of  tuberculosis  of  the 
1  lungs.     Physical  exploration  of  the  chest  revealed  an  effu- 
sion, extending   up   to  the   sixth   thoracic   spine.     This   was 
immediately  confirmed   by   an   exploratory   puncture.      Fish- 
berg  did  not  completely  withdraw  the  needle,  but  immediately 
turned  it  and  injected  the  fluid  contents  of  the  syringe — about 
three  c.c. — into  the  subcutaneous  tissues  at  the  site  of  the 
puncture. 

"  The  patient's  history  was  rather  suggestive.  He  had  been 
coughing  for  three  months,  had  slight  fever,  malaise,  and 
dyspnea  on  the  slightest  exertion.  At  no  time  had  he  any 
acute  pain  in  the  chest.  He  had  lost  18  pounds  in  weight 
during  the  three  months.  Treated  at  first  for  bronchitis  he 
was  finally  advised  to  go  to  the  mountains  to  cure  what  was 
considered  pulmonary  tuberculosis.  Fishberg's  request  that 
he  call  again  within  twenty-four  hours  was  disregarded  by  the 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  291 

patient,  but  he  showed  up  again  ten  days  later,  telling  him 
that  he  could  not  call  upon  the  appointed  day  because  he  was 
too  sick  to  leave  his  bed  on  a  rainy  day.  But  on  the  next  day 
he  began  to  improve,  his  strength  showed  signs  of  returning, 
his  appetite  was  improving  and  the  dyspnea  had  almost  dis- 
appeared. While  before  the  injection  he  could  not  sleep  on  the 
right  side,  he  noted  that  during  the  last  three  days,  one  week 
after  the  injection,  it  made  no  difference  to  him  on  which  side 
he  reclined.  His  cough  and  expectoration  increased,  but  he 
did  not  complain  because,  as  he  put  it,  he  found  it  easier  to 
'  bring  up  phlegm.'  He  gained  four  pounds  in  those  ten 
days. 

"  Another  puncture  with  reinjection  of  the  fluid  was  made, 
and  the  patient  was  given  a  prescription  calling  for  five  grains 
of  potassium  iodide  three  times  a  day.  Within  four  weeks  his 
condition  had  improved  to  the  extent  that  he  could  resume  his 
work,  that  of  a  watchmaker.  Fishberg  examined  his  patient 
over  one  year  later  and  found  him  in  excellent  condition,  ex- 
cept for  some  defective  resonance  and  faulty  motion  at  the 
right  base  which  remained  as  traces  of  his  pleurisy. 

"  But  not  all  of  Fishberg's  cases  of  Autoserotherapy  were 
successful.  In  one  patient  with  a  large  effusion  in  the  right 
side  the  injection  of  5  c.c.  of  fluid  on  alternate  days,  six  times, 
did  not  relieve  the  condition  at  all.  On  the  contrary,  the 
amount  of  fluid  in  the  chest  increased  in  spite  of  the  treat- 
ment, with  a  concomitant  aggravation  of  the  general  condition, 
especially  the  dyspnea.  The  displacement  of  the  mediastinum, 
liver,  etc.,  was  extreme,  so  that  tapping  of  the  chest  had  to 
be  done.  Thirty  ounces  of  fluid  was  withdrawn  on  one  occa- 
sion and  twenty  ounces  on  another,  although  at  each  tapping 
he  reinjected  about  10  c.c.  of  the  fluid  under  the  skin.  He 
could  not  say  that  the  eventual  disappearance  of  the  effusion 
could  be  attributed  to  the  autoserotherapy  in  this  case." 

The  question  how  autoserotherapy  promotes  the  absorption 
of  pleural  effusions  has  been  a  source  of  speculation  to  vari- 
ous writers.  And  it  appears  there  is  no  unanimity  as  regards 
the  matter  at  the  present  time. 


292  AUTOTHERAPY 

Pericarditis 

"  Jacobs  and  Chavigny  report  a  case  of  tuberculous  peri- 
carditis with  much  effusion,  in  which  autoserotherapy  by  means 
of  pericardictomy  cleared  up  the  case  and  has  apparently  cured 
the  patient.  The  incision  in  the  skin  was  sutured  without  drain- 
age but  the  incision  in  the  pericardium  was  left  untouched  so 
that  any  further  effusion  might  drain  away  of  itself  and  pos- 
sibly induce  a  kind  of  autoserotherapy. 

Hydrocele 

"  Holt  says  that  in  some  cases  of  hydrocele  which  do  not  dis- 
appear promptly  simple  puncture  with  the  needle,  allowing  the 
fluid  to  drain  off  into  the  cellular  tissue  of  the  scrotum  from 
which  it  is  absorbed,  is  an  excellent  means  of  treatment. 

"  Caforia  extols  the  simplicity,  ease  and  harmlessness  of 
autoserotherapy  and  the  freedom  from  by-effects  at  the  time  or 
later.  He  found  it  effectual  in  45  per  cent,  of  the  cases,  in 
which  he  has  employed  the  method,  the  outcome  depending  in 
large  measure  on  the  age  of  the  hydrocele  and  the  pathological 
process  responsible  for  it.  In  four  bilateral  cases  he  aspirated 
a  few  c.c.  of  the  fluid  on  one  side  alone  and  reinjected  it  with 
the  usual  technic  and  the  hydrocele  on  both  sides  retrogressed, 
showing  the  general  action  of  the  procedure. 

Case  214.  The  writer  reports  the  following  case : 
Patient,  age  55  years,  a  letter-carrier,  reported  for  treat- 
ment for  a  large  unilateral  hydrocele  that  had  been  gradually 
developing  since  an  injury  three  years  previous.  Under 
strictly  aseptic  precautions,  24  ounces  of  the  fluid  was  aspirated 
and  4  c.c.  injected  subcutaneously  in  the  gluteal  regions.  In 
three  weeks'  time  the  patient  reported  again  for  treatment, 
when  ten  ounces  of  the  fluid  were  aspirated  and  4  c.c.  in- 
jected subcutaneously.  In  about  eight  weeks  he  applied  for 
treatment  again  and  it  had  about  the  same  amount  as  at  the 
last  aspiration.  The  contracted  scrotum  had  the  appearance 
of  being  considerably  over  one-half  an  inch  thick.     No  fluid 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  293 

was  aspirated  but  at  this  time  an  insertion  of  the  needle  into 
the  cavity  of  the  scrotum  was  made  in  six  or  seven  different 
places  with  a  view  of  allowing  the  fluid  to  escape  in  these 
various  channels,  into  the  subcutaneous  tissue.  At  the  end  of 
six  weeks  the  patient  reported  again  with  no  fluid  in  the 
cavity  and  there  has  been  none  since. 

Hydrocephalus 

Pierce  says  further,  "  Payr  states  that  in  the  last  three  years 
he  has  operated  on  fifteen  cases  of  hydrocephalus  by  various 
technics,  all  aiming  to  drain  away  the  excess  of  the  fluid  from 
the  ventricle  into  the  venous  circulation.  His  patients  ranged 
in  age  from  six  months  to  twenty  years.  Hydrocephalus  was 
completely  cured  in  50  per  cent,  of  the  eight  patients  who  sur- 
vived in  the  first  few  months.  The  cases  were  naturally  all  of 
the  severest  types.  In  four  he  drained  into  the  longitudinal 
sinus,  in  four  into  the  jugular  or  facial  vein.  He  regards 
the  results  on  the  whole  as  very  encouraging,  the  failures 
being  principally  avoidable  by  improved  technic. 

"  Heile  reported  last  year  his  attempt  to  ensure  permanent 
drainage  of  the  cerebrospinal  fluid  into  the  abdomen  in  a  case 
of  spina  bifida.  He  sutured  a  loop  of  small  intestine,  drawn 
out  near  the  spina  bifida,  to  the  open  dural  sac,  and  the  drain 
answered  its  purpose  perfectly,  but  so  much  fluid  was  drained 
away  abruptly  that  the  child  succumbed  to  this  and  the  effects 
of  the  laparotomy  necessary  to  draw  out  the  bowel.  To  avoid 
these  drawbacks  he  now  drains  the  fluid  into  the  abdomen  by 
means  of  a  wick  of  six  silk  threads,  introduced  into  the  dural 
sac  at  one  end  and  carried  through  a  subcutaneous  passage 
into  the  side  of  the  abdominal  cavity,  into  which  it  protrudes 
near  the  costal  arch.  The  minute  incisions  rapidly  healed  in 
the  case  reported.  The  two-days-old  infant  was  kept  lying  on 
his  back  with  the  pelvis  raised  for  a  time  to  prevent  too  rapid 
drainage.    The  child  has  no  further  signs  to  date  of  the  spina 


294  AUTOTHERAPY 

bifida    and    hydrocephalus    for    which    the    operation    was 
done. 

"  Marmion  drains  the  lateral  ventricle  permanently  into  the 
parotid  gland  which  he  considers  particularly  adapted  for 
rapidly  taking  up  the  fluid.  He  applied  this  method  to  an 
infant  eight  months  old  suffering  with  extreme  hydrocephalus 
with  good  results.  The  infant  in  later  months  died  of  en- 
teritis. 

Ascites 

"  Audibert  and  Monges  claim  for  themselves  the  credit  of 
being  the  first  to  apply  autoserotherapy  in  the  treatment  of 
ascites.  They  use  a  technic  similar  to  that  of  Gilbert  in  tuber- 
culous pleurisy.  They  describe  a  case  of  ascites  of  hepatic 
origin  which  was  greatly  benefited  by  the  reinjecting  of  the 
patient's  own  ascitic  fluid.  Twelve  injections  from  3  to  10  c.c. 
were  made  at  intervals  of  about  six  days.  There  was  no  local 
reaction  and  no  pain,  the  main  effect  being  a  copious  and  per- 
sistent polyuria  and  the  patient's  general  condition  improved 
greatly  as  the  ascites  was  drained  away.  In  this  case  salt  was 
withdrawn  from  the  diet.  These  authors  now  apply  auto- 
serotherapy in  all  cases  of  recurring  ascites. 

"  Franke  has  done  omentopexy  in  five  cases  to  drain  away 
ascites  and  the  result  was  an  entire  success  in  three.  The  last 
patient  thus  treated  was  a  woman  of  57  with  syphilitic  cir- 
rhosis of  the  liver  and  the  operation  cured  the  tendency  to 
ascites.  His  failures  in  the  other  cases  and  in  a  number  on 
record  constrained  him  to  seek  a  better  way  and  he  thinks  he 
has  found  this  in  diverting  the  fluid  into  the  subcutaneous 
tissue.  In  the  two  cases  in  which  he  has  applied  this  technic, 
the  patients  were  permanently  cured  of  the  ascites,  as  was 
demonstrated  in  necropsy.  One  was  a  woman  of  48  with 
ascites  from  cirrhosis  of  the  liver,  the  other  was  a  woman 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  295 

of  71  with  chronic  serous  peritonitis.  He  uses  merely  a 
loosely  twisted  wire  of  silver  to  keep  the  hole  open.  This 
operation  permanently  diverted  the  fluid  from  the  abdominal 
cavity  and  the  wire  healed  in  place  without  any  inflammatory 
reaction,  but  the  process  of  the  underlying  disease  rendered 
a  permanent  recovery  impossible.  He  thinks  that  mild,  chronic 
serous  peritonitis  might  be  cured  by  the  measure  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  conditions  materially  improved. 

"  In  the  case  reported  by  Stoney  and  Moorehead,  the  intro- 
duction of  artificial  silk  lymphatics  according  to  the  method 
suggested  by  Sampson  Handley  in  1910,  was  followed  by  dis- 
appearance of  the  ascitic  fluid.  The  existence  of  chronic 
fibrous  peritonitis  with  hepatic  cirrhosis  was  demonstrated  at 
the  operation.  The  authors  do  not  claim  that  the  improve- 
ment which  occurred  is  necessarily  the  result  of  the  lymphangi- 
oplasty,  as  ascites  of  the  type  here  represented  may  disappear 
spontaneously  (as  occurred  for  a  time  in  this  case  during  the 
first  stay  in  the  hospital),  or  may  disappear  after  a  simple 
laparotomy.  The  fact,  however,  that  some  fluid  reaccumu- 
lated  after  the  operation,  suggests  that  the  mere  laparotomy 
was  not  of  itself  the  cause  of  the  later  improvement,  but 
rather  that  the  reaccumulation  took  place  prior  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  efficient  circulation  via  the  silk  lymphatics,  and 
that  once  a  sufficient  circulation  was  attained  no  further 
transudation  accumulated. 

"  Volarelli  reviews  the  five  cases  on  record  in  which  the 
internal  saphenous  vein  was  implanted  in  the  peritoneum  in 
treatment  of  ascites.  The  outcome  was  a  complete  success  in 
three  cases  in  which  the  saphenous  vein  was  of  normal  size 
and  permeable.  In  the  two  other  cases  necropsy  showed  total 
obstruction  or  excessively  small  size  of  the  vein. 

"  Is  it  not  possible  that  to  autoserotherapy  is  due  the 
good  effects  of  the  exploratory  operation  in  cases  of  tuber- 


296  AUTOTHERAPY 

culous  peritonitis,  the  serum  being  absorbed  from  the  surfaces 
of  the  wound? 

"  Evler  has  appHed  to  tuberculous  ascites  autoserotherapy 
after  the  principle  of  autodrainage.  He  produces  a  permanent 
fistula  so  that  the  fluid  in  the  peritoneal  cavity  was  drained 
into  the  subcutaneous  tissue  of  the  abdominal  wall.  Improve- 
ment was  marked  from  the  start.  Ascites  did  not  recur  and  the 
patient  rapidly  gained  25  pounds  in  weight.  The  peritoneal 
affection  seemed  to  be  entirely  cured. 

Cancer 

"  Krokiewiez  reports  thirteen  cases  of  cancer  in  which  he 
drew  6  c.c.  of  blood  from  the  median  vein  and  reinjected  it  at 
once  into  the  subcutaneous  tissue  of  the  chest, — repeating  the 
procedure  at  eight  or  ten  days'  intervals.  In  the  advanced  cases 
the  pains  and  vomiting  were  favorably  influenced.  The  pa- 
tient slept  and  ate  better  and  regained  more  energy.  In  some 
cases  the  general  condition  took  a  marked  turn  for  the  better. 
This  was  especially  marked  when  this  treatment  was  applied 
after  excision  of  the  cancer.  Convalescence  seemed  to  be 
materially  promoted. 

"  McConnell  in  a  paper  before  the  American  Association  for 
Cancer  Research,  reports  preliminary  results  obtained  by  treat- 
ing cancer  with  ascitic  fluid.  He  says  that  carcinomatous 
growths  without  doubt  do  undergo  retrogression  both  spon- 
taneously and  after  operations  that  do  not  completely  remove 
the  tumor.  This  may  be  due  to  the  formation  of  connective 
tissue  with  necrosis  and  absorption  of  the  cancer  cell. 

"  Spontaneous  disappearance  is  frequently  seen  in  the  tumors 
of  mice.  It  often  occurs  in  human  beings,  more  often  than 
realized. 

"  In  the  mechanism  of  protection  against  the  invasion  of 
foreign  cells  two  factors  are  concerned — one  the  protective 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  297 

ferments  of  the  invaded  body,  the  other  the  enzymes  of  the 
tumor  cells  capable  of  exerting  an  autolytic  action.  The  re- 
gression of  tumor  nodules  may  be  due  to  the  setting  free  of 
autolytic  ferments  as  the  tumor  cells  die  from  imperfect  nu- 
trition. 

"  That  recovery  does  occur  is  shown  by  the  numerous  re- 
ports of  numerous  observers.  Beebe  states  that  in  30  per 
cent,  of  cases  considerable  improvement  locally  and  generally 
may  be  expected.  In  no  instance  have  there  been  any  results 
which  would  lead  one  to  expect  a  cure.  The  favorable  effects 
have  been  as  follows :  relief  from  pain,  diminution  of  hemor- 
rhage and  secretion  from  the  tumor  mass  when  it  has  been 
located  in  a  mucous  surface,  increase  in  weight  and  appetite, 
marked  improvement  of  the  general  physical  condition.  In 
25  per  cent,  of  the  cases  there  has  been  a  cessation  of  growth 
on  the  part  of  the  tumor  and  in  a  few  it  has  appeared  that  the 
tumor  has  actually  diminished  in  size.  Serum  has  been  given 
by  subcutaneous  injections  in  the  flank  and  lumbar  regions  in 
doses  varying  from  10  to  125  c.c.  The  size  of  the  dose  and 
frequency  of  administration  are  determined  by  the  reaction 
both  local  and  general. 

Elephcmtiasis 

"  Lanz  was  able  to  obtain  a  complete  cure  in  a  case  of 
elephantiasis  in  a  man  of  49,  whose  right  leg  had  been  gradu- 
ally enlarging  in  size  for  five  years,  without  pain,  the  dis- 
figurement and  discomfort  resulting  from  the  enormous  size 
of  the  entire  limb  incapacitating  the  patient  at  times.  Lanz 
kept  the  man  in  bed  ten  days  with  the  limb  raised,  and  then 
incised  the  thigh  down  to  the  bone  and  bored  into  the  femur 
at  the  lower  middle  and  upper  thirds.  He  then  cut  some 
narrow  strips  from  the  fascia  lata  and  worked  them  into  the 
three  holes  drilled  in  the  bone,  his  aim  being  to  induce  a  col- 


298  AUTOTHERAPY 

lateral  circulation  of  lymph,  opening  a  passage  from  the  sub- 
cutaneous lymphatics  into  the  intramuscular,  subperiostal  and 
narrow  network  of  lymph  vessels.  Before  suturing  he  made 
also  a  number  of  openings  for  drainage  through  the  fascia 
lata.  The  silk  suture  the  length  of  the  thigh  may  also  have 
contributed  to  the  result.  Relief  was  immediate  and  perma- 
nent. 

"  Now,  three  years  later,  no  difference  is  apparent  between 
the  right  and  left  leg,  except  that  the  skin  of  the  right  thigh 
seems  a  little  thicker  than  the  other.  The  fascia  lata  is  an  i 
absolute  barrier  for  the  lymph  routes,  and  by  artificially  open- 
ing passages  through  this  barrier  the  whole  trouble  was  cured. 
If  the  desired  effect  had  not  been  attained  he  had  intended  to 
connect  the  lymphatics  in  the  thigh  with  those  of  the  seminal 
cord,  pushing  the  latter  over  to  the  fossa  ovalis. 

Conclusions 

"  This  resume  sets  forth  the  practicability  of  using  auto- 
serotherapy  in  treatment  of  non-purulent  effusions  in  any  of 
the  serous  cavities  of  the  body.  I  will  not  attempt  to  draw 
any  conclusions  as  I  believe  that  they  are  self-evident  from  a 
review  of  the  authorities  quoted.  I  trust  that  the  profession 
will  give  consideration  to  this  valuable  method  of  treatment 
when  suitable  cases  present  themselves,  bearing  in  mind  that 
it  is  not  a  cure-all." 

Dr.  John  Besson,  of  Portland,  Oregon,  states  in  the  North- 
west Medicine  of  November,  1914,  in  commenting  on  Dr. 
Pierce's  article,  "  Dr.  Pierce's  conclusion  establishing  the  prac- 
ticability of  autoserotherapy  in  treatment  of  non-purulent  ef- 
fusions, has  my  hearty  commendation  but  I  would  ask,  why 
not  disembowel  the  term  autoserotherapy  and  use  Autotherapy 
which  is  applicable  in  purulent  exudates,  infections,  etc.,  as 
well?     His  able  article  well  shows  that  a  specific  antigenic 


ea 


o 
to 

< 
w 


< 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  299 

body  resident  in  sterile  exudates  is  the  spur  necessary  to  the 
lowered  vitality  for  a  cure  of  the  cause  of  pleurisy.  I  am 
sure  the  principle  is  the  correct  one  and  its  extension  to  puru- 
lent fields  is  readily  attained  by  isolating  the  *  specific  anti- 
genic body '  from  purulent  exudates  and  employing  these 
therapeutically.  Duncan  of  New  York  best  does  this  by  adding 
one  part  of  the  patient's  pus  to  seven  parts  of  water  allowing 
it  to  stand  with  occasional  thorough  agitation  of  the  mixture, 
and  passing  through  the  Berkfeld  filter  after  twelve  to  twenty- 
four  hours,  when  i  c.c.  of  this  filtrate  is  injected  subcutane- 
ously  or  the  smallest  necessary  dose  is  indicated  by  the  reactive 
strength  and  the  condition  of  the  patient. 

"  At  the  Sellwood  Hospital,  we  have  had  wide  and  favorable 
experience  with  Duncan's  teachings  in  many  varieties  of  infec- 
tion, even  to  long  standing  chronic  bronchitis,  and  I  have  to 
refer  you  to  his  numerous  writings  that  have  appeared  in  the 
medical  press,  both  in  this  country  and  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe,  under  the  title  of  '  Autotherapy,  by  C.  H.  Duncan, 
M.D.,'  the  most  ingenious^  of  autotherapeutists." 

Case  215.  Dr.  Besson  reports  the  following  case : 
"  Patient,  Mrs.  M.,  age  23  years,  came  to  the  Sellwood  Hos- 
pital, on  September  22,  1914,  with  a  diagnosis  of  pyosalpinx 
with  severe  abdominal  pain  and_dysuria.  On  the  24th,  the 
cystoscope  demonstrated  pus  pouring  from  both  ureters.  Tem- 
perature 102°  F.  The  kidney  pelves  were  irrigated  with 
silver  nitrate  and  the  patient  given  two  drops  of  pus  from 
the  urine  by  the  mouth.  During  the  next  three  days  her  tem- 
perature gradually  dropped  to  a  normal  range.  Examination 
now  disclosed  a  bilateral  chronic  pyogenic  infection  of  both 
fallopian  tubes  (the  result  of  an  acute  attack  a  year  previous), 
and  a  right  cystic  ovary  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg,  which  one  week 
later  had  become  larger  than  a  goose  egg ;  this  ruptured  easily 
at  the  operation  on  October  5th,  and  contained  a  sero-sanguin- 
eous  fluid) .  The  operation  consisted  of  a  double  salpingectomy, 
right  oophorectomy  with  partial  resection  of  the  left  ovary,  a 


3CX)  AUTOTHERAPY 

left  inguinal  herniotomy,  and  a  double  tonsilectomy.  Time 
one  hour  and  forty  minutes.  The  patient  experienced  a  fairly 
comfortable  post-operative  course  and  was  able  to  sit  up  in  bed 
with  a  back  rest  ten  days  later.  This  was  followed  by  a  series 
of  chills,  a  septic  temperature  with  vomiting  and  coughing 
spells,  although  between  chills  the  patient  felt  well  enough  to 
be  out  on  the  sun-porch.  One  week  later  came  the  onset  of 
what  eventually  proved  to  be  pleurisy;  physical  signs  of  fluid 
in  the  right  chest  were  found. 

"  Six  ounces  of  a  very  turbid  fluid  were  aspirated  but  no  at- 
tempt was  made  to  evacuate  thoroughly  the  cavity.  A  drop 
of  this  under  the  microscope  showed  innumerable  leukocytes 
in  every  field,  as  we  would  commonly  expect  to  find  in  any 
seropurulent  material.  A  filtrate  was  prepared  and  m  xv, 
administered  hypodermatically  at  once.  This  was  followed  by 
two  or  more  doses  during  the  succeeding  week  which  resulted 
in  the  recovery  of  the  patient.  This  treatment  is  of  intense 
interest  when  reviewed  in  the  light  of  the  article  and  bibliog- 
raphy by  Dr.  Pierce." 

Dr.  Besson  states  in  a  later  number  of  the  Western  Medical 
Times:  "  In  my  communication  that  appeared  in  the  November, 
1914,  issue  of  the  Northwest  Medicine  commenting  on  Dr. 
Pierce's  article,  I  agreed  that  the  principle  was  sound  and 
suggested  that  it  could  readily  be  extended  to  purulent  fields 
as  well  by  isolating  the  '  specific  antigenic  body  '  from  purulent 
exudates  by  Dr.  Duncan's  technic. 

"  Contemporaneous  with  my  communication,  an  article  ap- 
peared in  the  October,  1914,  issue  of  Surgery,  Gynecology  and 
Obstetrics,  by  A.  C.  Burnham,  under  the  title  of  '  Post- 
operative Pleurisy  with  Eflfusion  and  Empyema,'  showing  that 
post-operative  pleural  effusion  is  not  uncommon  in  these  condi- 
tions and  concluding  that  a  clear  serous  exudate  in  the  right 
chest  is  not  necessarily  a  serious  complication,  as  such  cases 
usually  recover. 

"  This  is  in  sharp  contrast  with  his  conclusion   that  thi 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  301 

prognosis  is  unfavorable  in  all  cases  of  purulent  or  turbid 
fluid  in  post-operative  pleurisies.  No  patient  recovered  of  the 
six  cited. 

"  He  (Burnham),  believed  that  a  turbid  exudate  meant  that 
the  condition  would  ultimately  terminate  in  pus  formation  and 
death. 

"  In  Mrs.  M.'s  case,  the  septic  temperature  and  the  appear- 
ance of  the  fluid  warned  us  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation, 
and  we  resorted  to  Autotherapy  with  confidence  that  was 
born  of  successful  usage  for  four  years  in  almost  every  pa- 
tient presenting  an  exudate  or  discharge.  In  addition  to  all 
other  indicated  therapeutic  and  surgical  measures  we  owe  it  to 
the  patient  to  give  him  the  benefit  of  this  most  accurate  thera- 
peutic measure : — Autotherapy." 

Autotherapy  in  Cerebrospinal  Meningitis  and 
Acute  Poliomyelitis 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  merits  or  demerits  of  the  local 
use  on  the  nasal  and  pharyngeal  surfaces  of  the  lactic  acid 
bacillus  against  the  meningococcus  of  Weichselbaum,  it  tends 
to  act  in  the  nature  of  an  antiseptic,  locally  destroying  the 
microorganisms. 

When  the  excretions  from  the  pharyngeal  or  nasal  surfaces 
can  be  obtained  they  should  be  employed  autotherapeutically 
in  a  manner  similar  to  the  technic  employed  in  otitis  media, 
mastoiditis,  rhinitis,  etc.,  as  the  meningococcus  is  apparently 
found  in  the  naso-pharyngeal  surface ;  by  injecting  the  filtrate 
from  the  mucus  subcutaneously,  we  tend  to  build  up  the  bac- 
tericidal elements  of  the  blood  to  overcome  the  invading  micro- 
organisms. While  this  has  never  been  attempted  by  the  writer 
in  cerebrospinal  meningitis,  there  is  still  no  reason  why  the 
toxins  from  these  microorganisms  should  not  be  employed 


302  AUTOTHERAPY 

autotherapeutically.  Lack  of  opportunity  alone  has  prevented 
these  tests  from  being  made.  There  are,  however,  other  auto- 
therapeutic  measures  that  apparently  are  able  to  control  this 
malady,  if  the  treatment  is  not  too  long  withheld.  The  technic 
is  similar  to  that  of  treating  poliomyelitis,  given  in  the  follow- 
ing abstract,  from  a  paper  by  the  writer,  under  the  title  of 
"  Autotherapy  in  Poliomyelitis  "  which  appeared  in  the  New 
York  Medical  Journal  for  August  19,  1916. 

In  view  of  our  apparent  helplessness  in  the  presence  of  an 
epidemic  of  poliomyelitis,  I  suggest  that  the  autotherapeutic 
method  of  treatment  be  given  a  fair  trial.  It  is  especially 
worthy  of  consideration  since  cerebrospinal  meningitis,  and 
other  toxic  neuritides,  appear  to  respond  readily  to  this  treat- 
ment. 

During  the  Spring  of  1910,  Dr.  C.  C.  Howard,  of  New 
York  City,  cured  a  case  of  cerebrospinal  meningitis  by  tap- 
ping the  spinal  canal  and  injecting  intramuscularly  the 
spinal  fluid  thus  obtained.  Recognizing  this  treatment  as 
autotherapeutic,  he  asked  Dr.  H.  C.  Sloat,  then  of  New  York, 
to  read  a  paper,  under  the  title  of,  "  The  Relation  of  Auto- 
therapy to  Homoeopathy,"  before  the  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  at  its  annual  meeting  held 
in  Albany,  February  22,  191 1.  During  the  discussion  that 
followed,  Dr.  Howard  reported  the  case  of  cerebrospinal 
meningitis  mentioned  above,  and  Dr.  George  F.  Laidlaw,  of 
New  York  City,  stated  that  he  had  cured  many  cases  of  cerebro- 
spinal meningitis  by  this  autotherapeutic  method.  Time  and 
space  forbid  giving  more  than  that  part  of  the  discussion  which 
relates  to  the  injection  of  the  spinal  fluid : 


Case  216.  Dr.  C.  C.  Howard  stated  that  last  Spring  (1910) 
a  patient  with  cerebrospinal  meningitis  entered  the  Metropoli- 
tan Hospital.  The  man  was  an  Italian  laborer  about  thirty' 
nine  years  of  age,  and  in  a  state  in  which  one  would  expect 


I 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  303 

speedy  death.  He  was  cyanosed,  his  pulse  was  erratic,  he  was 
bathed  in  a  cold  sweat,  rigidity  was  marked,  and  there  was  loss 
of  all  reflexes.  The  case  approached  so  near  death  that  the 
speaker  decided  to  see  what  result  would  follow  injection  of 
the  spinal  fluid  under  the  skin.  He  made  a  spinal  puncture 
and  drew  off  quite  a  large  amount  of  fluid  and  injected  some 
of  it  into  the  muscles  of  the  back.  In  the, course  of  three  or 
four  hours,  the  temperature  fell  from  105°  F.  to  102°  F.  Four 
injections  were  given  at  intervals  in  a  similar  manner.  The 
man  had  absolutely  nothing  remaining  as  the  result  of  the  at- 
tack and  was  perfectly  well  when  he  left  the  hospital. 

Dr.  George  F.  Laidlaw,  referring  to  Dr.  Howard's  case  of 
meningitis,  thought  he  was  the  grandfather  of  this  treatment, 
Dr.  Sloat  the  father,  and  Dr.  Howard  their  lineal  successor. 
He  thought  he  was  the  first  to  draw  the  fluid  in  a  spinal 
meningitis  case  and  inject  it  under  the  skin.  Within  the  past 
year  he  had  been  puncturing  the  spinal  cord  quite  liberally. 

He  had  been  surprised  at  the  number  of  apparent  cases  that 
had  a  sterile  spinal  fluid,  in  which  prompt  improvement  might 
follow  its  injection  under  the  skin.  One  striking  case  he 
treated  about  a  year  ago ;  another  he  saw  in  Scranton,  in  No- 
vember, 1910;  a  third  in  Flower  Hospital.  Others  he  had  seen 
about  New  York  at  different  places.  All  the  symptoms  were 
those  of  meningitis ;  rise  of  temperature,  stupor,  flexor  spasms 
of  the  knee,  retraction  of  the  neck,  etc.  In  all  cases  he  punc- 
tured the  spinal  canal  and  drew  off  a  fluid  free  from  pus  and 
bacteria.  Those  patients  seen  at  different  stages  of  the  dis- 
order were  injected  with  about  ten  drops  of  spinal  fluid  and 
within  ten  hours  were  so  much  better  that  he  was  forced  to 
conclude  that  the  injection  of  the  spinal  fluid  had  some  influ- 
ence on  the  improvement.  The  bacterial  cases  he  had  had  the 
misfortune  to  see  late  in  the  disease,  ended  fatally.  Dr.  How- 
ard's patient  was  the  only  one  of  this  type  that  he  had  seen 
recover. 

It  seems  altogether  probable  that  if  the  spinal  fluid  was 
passed  through  a  Duncan  autotherapeutic  apparatus  before  in- 
jection the  results  would  be  more  certain,  in  some  instances  at 
least. 


304  AUTOTHERAPY 

It  is  altogeher  possible  that  in  advanced  stages  of  polio- 
myelitis, as  in  cerebrospinal  meningitis,  the  spinal  fluid  may 
contain,  in  addition  to  the  etiological  factor,  pyogenic  micro- 
organisms which,  of  course,  would  be  removed  by  the  filter. 
It  is  possible,  also,  that  much  the  same  condition  prevailed  here 
as  in  purulent  hydrothorax,  etc. 

This  patient  of  Dr.  Howard's  made  an  autotherapeutic  cure, 
pure  and  simple,  and  it  is  freely  acknowledged  as  such  by  Dr. 
Laidlaw,  Dr.  Sloat  and  Dr.  Howard.  If  it  had  not  been  suf- 
ficiently pointed  out  that  autotherapy  is  especially  applicable  in 
poliomyelitis,  it  must  have  suggested  itself  over  and  over 
again  to  those  who  do  their  own  thinking,  that  Autotherapy  is 
particularly  applicable  to  this  infection.  Being  a  toxic  myelitis, 
with  the  evidence  before  us  of  the  effectiveness  of  Autotherapy 
in  cerebrospinal  meningitis  and  other  toxic  affection  of  nerve 
centers,  it  would  be  only  a  slight  mental  effort  to  conclude  that 
Autotherapy  might  also  be  applicable  in  this  form  of  myelitis. 

Case  217.  Patient,  male,  aged  two  and  a  half  years,  was 
taken  sick  July  22,  1916.  The  case  was  not  seen  until  the 
24th.  There  was  vomiting,  stupor  and  temperature  of  102° 
F.  The  patient  slept  with  his  eyes  open  and  rolled  up.  There 
was  marked  twitching  of  the  muscles  of  the  legs  and  arms. 
On  the  25th,  there  was  a  partial  left-sided  facial  paralysis  and 
partial  paralysis  of  both  legs.  On  the  evening  of  that  day  the 
spinal  canal  was  punctured  and  about  10  c.c.  of  fluid  with- 
drawn, and  I  c.c.  injected  hypodermatically.  Within  twelve 
hours  the  stupor  disappeared  and  the  temperature  fell  to  99° 
F.  He  was  sent  to  the  hospital  where  several  5  c.c.  injections 
of  spinal  fluid  were  given.  At  the  present  writing,  August 
7,  1916,  temperature  and  pulse  are  normal.  January  i,  1918, 
this  patient  has  fully  recovered. 

Since  the  onset  of  the  paralysis  is  so  sudden  and  the  condi- 
tion is  often  not  diagnosticated  till  partial  paralysis  is  mani- 
fest, it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  value  of  this  autothera- 


NON-PURULENT  SEROUS  FLUIDS  305 

peutic  treatment  is  more  apparent  when  the  patient  is  treated 
early.  If  the  patient  is  treated  sufficiently  early,  it  will  often 
check  the  progress  of  destruction  and  institute  in  its  place  the 
process  of  repair.  The  partial  paralysis  will  often,  as  in  the 
case  above  cited,  be  overcome  in  the  course  of  time.  The 
writer  suggests  that  tests  be  made  in  treating  tetanus  and  other 
toxic  affection  of  nerve  centers  by  the  autotherapeutic  method. 
Many  tests  were  made  in  the  contagious  hospitals  of  Brook- 
lyn during  the  epidemic  of  1916,  by  treating  patients  by  this 
method.  The  results,  while  not  very  encouraging,  are  be- 
lieved by  the  writer  to  lie  in  the  fact  that  the  patients  treated 
at  the  municipal  hospitals  were  not  seen  sufficiently  early  for 
the  best  therapeutic  effects  to  be  obtained.  The  patients  re- 
ceived there  usually  come  from  the  hands  of  practicing  physi- 
cians and  the  destruction  of  the  cord  had  usually  been  going  on 
from  two  to  three  days  or  more  before  this  treatment  was 
given.  The  destructive  process  is  so  quick  in  its  action  that 
unless  treatment  is  instituted  within  a  few  hours  after  paralysis 
makes  its  appearance,  the  best  therapeutic  effect  will  not  be 
obtained. 


Autotherapy  "  need  not  all  be  believed  to  leave  a  shocking  residuum 
of  undoubted  truth." 

CHAPTER  XIII 

*  AUTOTHERAPY  IN  IVY  POISONING,  ANTHRAX 

In  the  New  York  Medical  Journal  for  September  23,  19 16, 
was  an  editorial  reviewing  an  article  by  Dr.  J.  M.  French  that 
appeared  in  the  August,  1916,  issue  of  Clinical  Medicine,  in 
which  the  writer  stated  that  ivy  poisoning  may  be  cured  or 
prevented  by  chewing  the  young  leaves  of  the  plant  and  swal- 
lowing the  juice.  The  writer  acquiesces  in  every  respect  with 
the  editorial  comment  on  this  method  of  treating  ivy  poisoning 
which  was  as  follows:  "The  remedy  appears  to  be  in  accord 
with  the  theory  and  practice  of  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan,  who 
will  pounce  upon  this  case  report  as  a  fine  example  of  his 
beloved  Autotherapy." 

In  the  New  York  Medical  Journal  for  December  14  and 
21,  1912,  the  writer  stated  in  an  article  under  the  title  of 
Autotherapy :  "  Disease  is  the  proving  of  one  or  more  toxins. 
Symptoms  are  the  expression  or  the  language  of  toxins.  The 
cure  of  disease  is  brought  about  by  placing  a  small  dose  of 
the  exact  toxins  that  cause  the  symptoms  in  healthy  tissues." 
This  method  of  treating  ivy  poisoning  is  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  treating  the  symptoms  with  the  substance  that  caused 

*  Reprint  from  an  article  under  the  title  of  "  Autotherapy  in  Ivy 
Poisoning"  that  appeared  in  the  New  York  Medical  Journal,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1917,  by  Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

306 


AUTOTHERAPY  IN  IVY  POISONING         307 

them,  or  an  autotherapeutic  procedure,  and  has  long  been 
known  and  employed  successfully  by  the  writer,  as  in  other 
forms  of  anaphylaxis. 

In  Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia,  it  was  the  custom  a  few 
years  ago  upon  hiring  park  hands  to  instruct  them  upon  clear- 
ing away  poison  ivy,  first  to  chew  a  few  leaves  of  the  plant  as 
a  preventive  to  the  well-known  cutaneous  eruption.  Last 
Spring  this  autotherapeutic  method  of  preventing  ivy  poison- 
ing was  introduced  in  Bronx  Park,  and  several  of  the  work- 
men employed  it  as  a  prophylactic.  It  is  noteworthy  that  no 
one  who  chewed  the  leaves  suffered  afterward  from  poisoning. 

Case  218.  C.  V.,  male,  living  in  the  country,  one  evening 
when  defecating  in  the  woods  was  unfortunate  enough  to 
select  a  spot  that  was  covered  with  poison  ivy.  When  seen 
three  days  later,  he  presented  the  most  terrible  spectacle  of 
ivy  poisoning  the  writer  had  ever  seen.  The  cutaneous  mani- 
festation was  severe,  covering  the  whole  scrotum,  penis,  groin, 
rectal  and  gluteal  regions.  Each  testicle  appeared  to  be  the 
size  of  the  fist,  and  the  penis  several  times  its  natural  size, 
puffy  and  edematous.  He  was  instructed  to  return  to  the 
spot  of  evacuation  and  to  select  a  leaf  from  this  particular 
plant,  a  part  oLwhichJie-ja^as  instructed  to  chew  and  to_,swaJlQw 
t^  juice.  This  he  did.  There  was  a  reduction  of  the  swelling 
and  the  symptoms  of  itching  and  burning  rapidly  subsided,  so 
that  within  three  days  he  was  able  to  resume  his  duties  as 
butler.  The  reason  for  instructing  him  to  return  to  the  spot 
and  chew  the  leaves  of  this  particular  plant  was  that  there  are 
several  species  of  ivy  and  in  attempting  to  treat  the  patient 
with  the  tincture  from  the  fresh  plant  there  might  have  been 
given  him  a  tincture  of  some  ivy  other  than  the  one  with 
which  he  had  been  poisoned. 

The  species  of  Rhus  that  are  common  throughout  North 
America  are  Rhus  glabra,  Rhus  venenata,  Rhus  toxicoden- 
dron and  Rhus  aromatica;  the  last  is  the  least  poisonous. 


308  AUTOTHERAPY 

The  writer  did  not  know  the  species  of  Rhus  to  which  this 
patient  was  exposed  but  that  the  patient  was  cured  is  an  estab- 
lished fact.  It  makes  little  difference  which  of  the  species  of 
Rhus  he  came  in  contact  with,  each  would  tend  to  be  curative 
in  the  dermatosis  caused  by  contact  with  the  plant. 

Instances  of  cures  of  this  nature  have  been  recorded 
sporadically  in  all  parts  of  the  world  and  in  all  ages. 

A  medical  missionary  from  China  states  that  when  people 
are  poisoned  by  the  leaves  of  a  poisonous  plant  that  grows 
in  that  locality,  their  old  women  will  give  the  patient  the  juice 
of  one  of  the  berries  mixed  with  water  as  a  curative  agent. 

This  method  of  treating  ivy  poisoning  has  long  been  known 
and  employed  by  homoeopathic  physicians,  who  considered 
the  cures  resulting  from  the  treatment  as  homoeopathic  cures, 
till  the  writer  pointed  out  the  fact  that  it  was  not  a  similar 
remedy,  but  the  exact  or  the  autotherapeutic  remedy,  for  it 
treats  the  symptoms  with  the  exact  unmodified  substances  that 
caused  them,  and  not  a  substance  that  causes  a  similar  set  of 
symptoms.  Their  failures  which  they  do  not  always  record, 
may  result  from  giving,  as  the  remedy,  a  tincture  of  Rhus 
other  than  the  one  with  which  the  patient  was  poisoned. 

In  the  same  way  phosphorus  poisoning  may  often  be  cured 
by  giving  the  patient  small  doses  of  phosphorus.  The  failures 
in  this  instance  may  have  been  from  the  same  cause,  but  the 
percentage  of  cures  has  been  such  as  to  cause  it  to  be  widely 
employed.  The  remedy  given  may  not  be  of  the  exact  chemi- 
cal composition  as  the  poison,  often  an  impure  product,  while 
the  substance  given  as  the  remedy  may  be,  and  usually  is,  the 
pure  product. 

Other  cures  of  a  similar  nature  could  be  cited  where  the 
exact  unmodified  substance  that  caused  the  symptoms  is  em- 
ployed in  minimum  doses  as  the  curative  remedy. 
.  This  is  the  principle  upon  which  Autotherapy  rests. 


AUTOTHERAPY  IN  ANTHRAX  309 

Anthrax 

Anthrax  is  an  acute  infectious  disease  so  fatal  in  man  that 
anything  which  affects  its  course  even  mildly,  or  that  throws 
light  on  the  subject  will  be  welcomed  by  the  profession.  The 
writer  believes  there  is  much  of  value  that  can  be  said  on  the 
subject  from  an  autotherapeutic  point  of  view. 

The  therapeutics  of  anthrax  is  so  interwoven  with  the  his- 
tory of  Autotherapy,  that  the  recital  here  of  work  done  by  one 
of  its  pioneers  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  may  not 
be  out  of  place. 

Lux,  a  veterinary  physician,  living  in  the  early  part  of  the 
last  century,  published  many  articles,  describing  a  method  of 
treating  disease  with  the  exudate  of  disease,  which  he  called 
"  Isopathy."  He  knew  nothing  of  the  value  of  immunizing 
the  patient  to  his  own  infecting  microorganisms,  or  of  the  auto 
element  we  now  know  that  enters  as  an  all-important  factor  in 
therapeutics;  for  this  reason  Isopathy  failed  when  put  to  the 
official  test  and  passed  into  history. 

Autotherapy  is  the  culmination  of  Isopathy,  just  as  Auto- 
therapy is  the  culmination  of  vaccine  therapy.  Lux  acci- 
dentally found  for  a  time  the  key  to  the  situation  but  lost  it 
eventually  because  he  did  not  recognize  the  value  of  the  auto 
element.  He  claimed  that  disease  carried  with  ft  its  remedy; 
we  know  now  it  is  not  the  disease  that  necessarily  does  this 
but  the  patient.  Practically  the  same  thing  may  be  said  of 
Swan  and  Burnett.  These  men  had  no  clear  conception  of  the 
auto  factor  that  enters  into  the  therapeutics  of  active  immuni- 
zation. For  this  reason  they  are  classed  as  pioneers  who  helped 
to  blaze  the  trail  to  a  fuller  understanding  of  the  subject. 

Lux  did  not  recognize  pus  as  pathological  but  considered  it 
as  physiological  or  as  necessary  for  wound  healing.  Lux 
called  pus,  as  did  all  of  his  contemporaneous  physicians, 
"  laudable  pus,"  or  "  praiseworthy  pus,"  so  that  he  cannot  be 


3IO  AUTOTHERAPY 

credited  with  curing  a  disease  he  did  not  recognize  as  such. 

The  writer  has  proved  that  unmodified  autogenous  pus  by 
the  mouth  is  curative  in  purulent  infections  and  thus  opened 
the  doors  for  the  quick  and  certain  cure  of  many  diseases. 

It  is  said  by  physicians  contemporaneous  with  Lux  that  he 
carried  more  bottles  in  his  medicine  case  than  any  physician 
of  his  day.  He  attempted  to  cure  boils  with  an  alcoholic  dilu- 
tion of  pus  from  boils  from  other  patients.  He  also  attempted 
to  cure  running  ears  in  children  with  alcoholic  dilutions  of 
pus  from  the  ears  of  other  patients.  He  attempted  to  cure 
anthrax  in  both  man  and  beast  by  an  alcoholic  dilution  of  the 
heterogeneous  toxins  of  anthrax,  etc.,  etc.  He  gave  these 
remedies  high-sounding  names  as  Otorhinum,  Anthracinum, 
Scarlatinum,  Hydrobinum,  etc.,  etc. 

In  the  years  1902  and  1903  when  the  writer  was  a  medical 
student,  the  writings  of  Lux,  referred  to  by  a  lecturer  in 
Materia  Medica,  attracted  his  attention.  About  this  time  the 
studies  of  Wright  with  his  autogenous  vaccines  occupied  the 
center  of  the  therapeutic  stage.  The  writer  being  much  inter- 
ested in  therapeutics,  then  as  now,  determined  to  learn  every- 
thing that  was  possible  to  be  known  regarding  these  two 
methods  of  treatment;  and  with  this  object  in  view,  resur- 
rected the  writings  of  Lux  and  had  translations  made.  One  of 
the  first  articles  of  Lux  that  attracted  attention,  was  the  re- 
cital of  his  experience  in  the  treatment  of  Anthrax. 

He  states,  "  I  picked  a  phlyctenule  from  a  sheep's  ear  that 
was  suflFering  with  anthrax,  made  an  alcohol  dilution  of  it 
and  gave  it  to  the  sheep  by  the  mouth  in  repeated  small  doses. 
This  not  only  cured  the  sheep  quickly  but  it  cured  also  other 
sheep  of  the  same  flock,  suffering  with  anthrax,  and  immu- 
nized the  remainder."  He  kept  this  remedy  in  his  medicine 
case  for  future  use,  and  labelled  it  anthracinum.  Thus  Lux 
was  the  father  of  modem  stock  vaccine  therapy,  and  we  under- 


AUTOTHERAPY  IN  ANTHRAX  311 

stand  today,  that  is,  those  of  us  who  understand  something  of 
bacterial  therapy,  why  he  failed  so  frequently.  When  he  gave 
one  bottle  of  "  anthracinum  "  and  failed  to  cure,  he  then  gave 
a  sample  of  stock  "  anthracinum  "  from  another  bottle  gathered 
from  another  source,  etc.  It  remains  for  modern  stock  vac- 
cine therapeutists  to  mix  the  various  strains  in  one  shot-gun 
prescription,  trusting  if  one  did  not  cure,  another  one  would : 
ignoring  the  fact,  since  all  the  strains  could  not  prove  effective, 
that  those  that  were  ineffective,  would  tend  to  be  harmful  at 
the  very  time  when  the  patient  needs  all  of  his  reactive  forces 
possible  in  developing  resistance  to  the  one  (if  there  was  one 
in  the  combination),  that  might  prove  curative. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  Lux  was  successful  at 
times,  even  as  stock  vaccines  are  occasionally  today. 

In  articles  on  the  subject  of  Autotherapy,  the  writer  fre- 
quently states,  "  The  more  virulent  the  infecting  micro- 
organisms, the  quicker  will  be  the  response  and  cure  of  the 
patient."  The  anthrax  bacillus  being  so  excessively  virulent, 
the  writer  sees  no  reason  why  anthrax  may  not  be  treated 
successfully  by  means  of  Autotherapy.  The  method  suggested 
here  as  probably  being  efficacious  is  either  to  employ  the 
exudate  from  the  phlyctenule  by  catching  the  discharge  on 
small  pledgets  of  absorbent  cotton  and  washing  the  virus  from 
it  with  distilled  water,  in  a  bottle,  before  filtration  and  injec- 
tion, in  the  manner  suggested  under  the  treatment  of  purulent 
infections,  or  by  employing  the  patient's  own  blood  or  blister- 
serum  in  the  manner  similar  to  that  given  in  the  treatment  of 
other  infections. 

It  may  be  interesting  both  from  a  scholastic  point  of  view 
as  well  as  from  a  practical  clinical  application  to  inquire  still 
further  into  the  relations  of  Isopathy  and  Autotherapy.  In 
an  earlier  chapter  the  subject  of  Elective  Affinity  or  tropism 
of  microorganisms  or  their  toxins  for  the  tissues  on  which  they 


312  AUTOTHERAPY 

grow,  was  mentioned.  Referring  again  briefly  to  one  of  these 
tests  for  the  sake  of  keeping  clearly  in  mind  the  meaning  of 
"  Elective  Affinity  or  Tropism."  It  is  stated  that  a  "  cul 
ture  of  microorganisms  from  an  eczema  of  the  right  shoulder 
injected  into  the  veins  of  an  animal,  caused  the  animal  to 
develop  an  eczema  of  the  right  shoulder."  From  this  and  other 
tests  it  is  stated,  "  microorganisms  have  elective  affinity  for  the 
tissues  on  which  they  grew."  Obviously  Lux's  "  Isopathic  " 
remedy  (stock  exudate)  has  its  elective  affinity  unaltered  by 
the  culture  media,  heat  or  preserving  chemicals.  It  is  obvi- 
ously not  the  autogenous  substances  of  any  patient  but  the 
one  from  whom  it  was  taken.  It,  however,  is  possibly  far 
more  potent  and  curative  than  the  stock  vaccines  of  today, 
for  as  yet  they  have  not  been  selected  with  any  reference  to 
the  elective  affinity  of  the  microorganism  in  question.  If  stock 
vaccines  for  otorrhea  contained  several  "  otorrhinums '.'  or 
even  contained  cultures  from  microorganisms  causing  otitis 
there  is  little  doubt  but  that  they  would  be  more  therapeu- 
tically effective. 

It  may  be  well  at  this  point  to  refer  briefly  to  a  paragraph 
that  appeared  recently  in  The  Journal  of  the  Allied  Medical 
Association,  for  it  not  only  assists  in  a  correct  understanding 
of  the  action  of  the  Isopathic  remedy  but  at  the  same  time  it 
olTers  a  clear  distinction  or  differentiation  between  the  Iso- 
pathic and  Autotherapeutic  remedies. 

"  A  physician  treated  a  boy,  six  years  of  age,  suffering 
with  smallpox.  He  took  some  exudate  from  the  skin  erup- 
tion and  diluted  it  with  ten  parts  of  alcohol,  the  patient  re- 
ceiving 2  drops  every  hour,  and  did  well  "  (British  Journal  of 
Homoeopathy). 

The  editor  of  The  Journal  of  the  Allied  Medical  Associa- 
tion, referring  to  this  stated,  "  This  is  variolinum."  This  is  not 
"  variolinum  "  for  variolinum  is  a  stock  preparation,  nothing 


ISOPATHY  313 

more  nor  less.  Lux  is  credited  by  modem  historians  as 
being  the  father  of  stock  vaccine  therapy.  Isopathy  in  the 
hands  of  Lux  was  discredited  by  physicians  of  his  day,  even 
as  its  Uneal  descendants,  stock  vaccines,  are  discredited  by 
many  physicians  today  on  account  of  their  frequent  failures 
as  therapeutic  agents. 

The  physician  treated  this  patient  with  the  autotherapeutic 
remedy  or  the  toxic  substances  developed  within  the  patient's 
body  by  the  action  of  the  infectious  agent  on  his  body  tissues 
against  which  the  tissues  react  in  a  curative  manner. 

As  a  prophylaxis  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  Isopathic 
remedy  should  occupy  a  high  place  in  medicine.  In  all  in- 
fectious diseases  we  beUeve  the  improved  condition  of  the  body 
depends  on  the  antitoxins  or  antibodies.  The  antitoxin  is 
developed  in  the  living  animal  tissues  in  response  to  the  action 
of  the  toxins  on  these  tissues.  The  antitoxin  is  the  result  of 
the  reaction  of  the  tissues  to  the  action  of  the  toxins.  Not 
every  person  suffering  with  a  toxic  disease  dies.  The  anti- 
bodies are  the  substances  the  tissues  produce  to  neutralize  or 
antidote  the  action  of  toxic  substances.  As  a  prophylaxis  to 
disease  the  heterogeneous  toxin  is  proved  to  be  effective,  but 
.  as  a  therapeutic  agent  the  experience  of  Wright  and  his  fol- 
lowers clearly  demonstrates  that  the  patient  should  be  indi- 
vidualized and  immunized  to  his  own  toxic  substances.  In 
other  words  to  be  most  successful  in  treatment  the  patient 
must  develop  in  his  tissues  antitoxins  to  his  own  specific 
microorganisms. 

We  will  not  go  further  in  elaborating  this  phase  of  the  sub- 
ject at  present,  for  it  is  discussed  fully  in  the  chapter  of  the 
book  dealing  with  "  Autoimmunization." 

There  are  few  of  us  who  would  think  of  employing  Wright's 
autogenous  vaccines  as  a  prophylaxis  to  disease,  although  it 
may  be  employed  at  times,  successfully;  the  difference  be- 


314  AUTOTHERAPY 

tween  the  autogenous  vaccine  and  stock  vaccine  is  quite  similar 
to  the  difference  between  the  Autotherapeutic  remedy  and  the 
Isopathic  remedy:  as  the  autotherapeutic  remedy  offers  many 
advantages  over  the  autogenous  vaccines,  so  the  Isopathic  rem- 
edy offers  many  advantages  over  the  stock  vaccines.  The 
advantages  of  the  autotherapeutic  remedy  over  the  autogenous 
vaccine  are  discussed  fully  in  the  chapter  dealing  with  the 
"  Limitations  of  Autotherapy."  But  it  may  not  be  out  of  place 
to  state  here  in  passing  that  one  of  the  principal  advantages 
of  the  autotherapeutic  remedy  over  the  autogenous  vaccines  is 
that  the  former  are  unmodified  by  the  culture  media,  heat  and 
preserving  chemicals.  The  Isopathic  remedy  has  practically 
the  same  advantage  over  the  stock  vaccines. 

"Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter.  Revere  Nature 
and  sustain  Her  lams,  for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  the  physician." 

CHAPTER  XIV 

MISCELLANEOUS 

In  considering  the  role  of  Autotherapy  in  the  treatment  of 
disease  of  the  respiratory  tract,  important  questions  arise, 
some  of  which  appear  to  be  answered  satisfactorily  by  the 
proper  use  of  Autotherapy. 

The  diseases  mentioned  below  cannot  all  be  said  at  present 
to  have  been  proved  to  be  amenable  to  Autotherapy,  but  there 
is  much  that  leads  us  to  believe  that  careful  tests  might  prove 
that  at  least  some  of  them  are  amenable  to  it.  Lack  of  oppor- 
tunity alone  prevented  the  author  from  treating  a  sufficient 
number  of  cases  to  cause  them  to  be  of  scientific  value.  He 
mentions  them  at  this  time  for  the  reason  that  many  othei 
diseases  treated  successfully  by  means  of  Autotherapy,  prt 
sented  themselves  first  as  possibly  amenable  to  Autotherapj 


MISCELLANEOUS  315 

as  these  at  present  might  appear  to  be.  He  mentions  them 
also  for  the  additional  reason  that  others  who  have  more 
opportunities  might  make  investigations  along  the  line  of  their 
various  specialties  and  carry  out  these  tests  to  their  clinical 
conclusion. 

Syphilis 

Syphilis  often  attacks  the  nasal  septum.  The  spirochaetes 
are  found  in  all  of  the  secretions  of  the  body.  The  question 
arises — Can  they  be  found  in  sufficient  quantity  in  mucus  from 
the  nares  and  their  toxins  obtained  in  the  filtrate  in  sufficient 
quantity  as  to  render  them  therapeutically  effective?  A  paper 
by  Dr.  G.  A.  Stevens,  published  in  the  British  Medical  Journal, 
of  April  5,  1913,  states  that  a  number  of  cases  of  syphilis 
were  cured  or  benefited  by  the  hypodermic  injections  of  rather 
large  quantities  of  sterile  water.  (See  chapter  under  the  title 
of  "  Autoimmunization "  under  a  sub-heading  of  "  Auto- 
therapy by  Sea  Plasma.") 

Within  the  past  few  years  the  medical  press  has  teemed  with 
various  methods  of  treating  a  patient  with  syphilis  with  his 
own  blood.  Several  authors  claim  they  have  had  most  excel- 
lent results  by  injecting  salvarsanized  blood-serum  into  the 
patient's  spinal  canal.  Others  claim  that  equally  good  results 
are  obtained  by  injecting  the  blood-serum  into  the  spinal  canal 
without  having  previously  administered  salvarsan  to  the  pa- 
tient.   This  latter  procedure  is  distinctly  autotherapeutic. 

It  is  well  known  that  a  woman  who  has  given  birth  to  a 
child  often  escapes  infection.  The  writer  has  seen  two  in- 
stances of  this  in  his  practice. 

Many  patients  have  been  treated  by  a  variety  of  autothera- 
peutic methods  in  the  genito-urinary  clinic  conducted  by  the 
writer  for  some  years,  for  the  special  purpose  of  studying 
the   application   of   Autotherapy   to   genito-urinary    diseases. 


3i6  AUTOTHERAPY 

There  is  no  doubt  that  some  patients  improved  under 
Autotherapy — some  apparently  did  not.  Just  why  this  is  so, 
he  does  not  know. 

The  filtrate  made  from  pus  from  the  chancroid  is  remark- 
ably effective  therapeutically.  It  should  be  employed  in  con- 
nection with  other  surgical  and  medical  means  that  are  now  at 
our  disposal,  in  the  deep  burrowing  infections,  when  a  suffi- 
cient virus  can  be  obtained. 

Snake  Bite 

I  would  suggest  here  as  a  point  of  investigation  as  to 
whether  the  efficacy  of  the  universal  custom  of  sucking  the 
snake  bite,  when  possible  (as  has  been  supposed),  is  due  alone 
to  the  sucking  out  of  the  poison.  It  is  well  known  that  not 
every  person  bitten  by  a  venomous  snake  dies.  The  mortality 
in  India  is  about  35  per  cent.  Snake  bites  are  usually  received 
on  the  legs  or  arms  thus  facilitating  the  act  of  sucking  the 
wound.  The  solution  of  the  question  as  to  whether  those  bit- 
ten within  the  range  of  the  mouth  show  a  larger  percentage 
of  recoveries  than  those  bitten  out  of  the  range  of  the  mouth 
might  prove  of  great  value.  That  resistance  to  snake  venom 
is  developed  within  the  body  tissues  goes  without  saying, 
if  we  accept  such  recognized  authorities  as  Noguchi,  and  of 
C.  C.  McCullough,  formerly  Curator  of  the  Army  Medical 
Museum,  who  recommends  antivenin  as  a  prophylactic  and 
therapeutic  agent  for  some  varieties  of  snake  venom. 

The  venoms  from  poisonous  snakes  are  albuminous  in  char- 
acter and  in  this  respect  they  are  somewhat  similar;  but  that 
the  antivenom  of  one  snake  poison  should  prove  curative  in 
another  snake  poison,  as  recommended,  appears  to  be  taking 
too  much  for  granted;  and  Calmette's  antivenin,  is,  accord- 
ing to  Noguchi,  ineffective  against  the  rattlesnake  bite ;  so 
Noguchi  recommends  that  we  should  have  Noguchi's  serum 


MISCELLANEOUS  317 

at  hand  in  places  where  one  is  likely  to  be  bitten  by 
snakes. 

It  appears  to  be  altogether  probable  that  snake  venoms 
should  be  individualized  in  some  such  terms  as  Autotherapy 
individualizes  pathogenic  microorganisms.  By  sucking  the 
wound  from  snakes'  fangs  the  patient  will  develop  or  tend  to 
develop  anti-substances  specific  to  the  injected  venom.  It  is 
well  that  we  remember  in  this  connection  that  we  know  a 
reaction  sets  in,  and  antibodies  develop  in  the  tissues  when 
a  relatively  small  amount  of  the  virus  of  the  rattlesnake, 
viper,  lachesis,  moccasin,  etc.,  is  injected  hypodermatically. 
But  to  give  the  anti-rattlesnake  and  anti-moccasin  sera  to 
antidote  the  eflfect  of  a  copperhead  venom  (although  they  are 
all  of  the  viperine  family)  appears  to  be  irrational. 

It  is  established  then  that  antibodies  are  developed  in  the 
tissues  to  snake  venom.  This  is  evident  if  we  accept  Cal- 
mette's  antivenin  or  the  anti-rattlesnake  and  anti-moccasin  sera 
of  the  Rockefeller  Institute.  It  is  not  unreasonable  then  to 
conclude  that  only  the  lack  of  experimentation  precludes  de- 
velopment of  sera  of  the  other  snake  venoms.  The  question 
then  to  be  answered  in  connection  with  Autotherapy  appears 
to  be  will  the  anti-substances  be  developed  with  sufficient 
rapidity  after  one  is  bitten  to  cause  curative  reaction  to 
ensue.  Nature  usually  compensates  and  as  the  action  of  the 
snake  poison  is  rapid,  the  development  of  antibodies  may  also 
be  rapid;  and  the  constriction  that  is  usually  applied — shut- 
ting off  the  circulation  of  the  arms  and  legs,  may  give  the 
system  an  opportunity  to  develop  sufficient  antibodies  to  the 
poison  in  question  before  it  gets  into  the  general  circulation. 
With  this  understanding  it  may  be  that  the  universal  custom  of 
shutting  off  the  circulation  and  sucking  the  wound  may  account 
for  the  low  mortality  in  the  United  States  that  attends  the 
bites  of  venomous  snakes,  which  is  about  10  per  cent,  of  those 


3i8  AUTOTHERAPY 

bitten.  There  are  no  objections  in  this  connection  to  the  use  of 
other  remedies  of  known,  or  supposed  value,  as  the  hypoder- 
mic injections  of  ten  minims  of  a  i :  i,ooo  solution  of  adrena- 
lin, to  stimulate  the  vaso-motor  centers  in  cases  where  it  is 
depressed ;  or  the  use  of  nicotine  as  suggested  by  Sir  Lauder 
Brunton  for  theoretical  considerations;  or  surgical  precau- 
tions against  the  advent  of  septicemia  from  sloughing;  or 
the  rubbing  in  of  permanganate  of  potash  or  chloride  of 
gold;  or  the  use  of  lo  per  cent,  solution  of  chloride  of  lime. 
The  only  objection  the  writer  has  ever  heard  advanced  to 
sucking  the  wound  is  that  the  procedure  is  probably  dangerous 
if  there  is  any  abrasion  present  in  the  mouth.  In  this  con- 
nection the  writer  is  reminded  of  the  danger  that  was  thought 
to  be  present  in  the  autotherapeutic  method  of  sucking  the 
wounds  containing  the  staphylococcus  and  streptococcus.  It  is 
now  known  to  be  a  well-established  therapeutic  procedure  and 
is  recognized  as  such,  and  these  criticisms  are  no  longer 
advanced.  How  much  has  been  kept  from  us  all  these  years 
by  the  statement,  "  It  is  really  thought  by  the  best  authorities 
to  be  dangerous."  In  the  swamps  in.  South  Carolina  and  in 
Florida,  negroes  invariably  suck  their  wounds.  After  diligent 
inquiry  the  writer  has  failed  to  discover  a  single  instance 
where  an  infection  of  the  mouth  followed  sucking  the  bite  of  a 
venomous  snake. 

The  conclusion  then  seems  warranted  that  it  is  not  ordi- 
narily dangerous  to  suck  the  poison  from  the  wound,  and  there 
is  much  to  warrant  this  procedure. 

Livingstone  tells  us  that  in  some  portions  of  Africa  the 
natives  have  long  immunized  children  to  the  venom  of  the 
snake  by  giving  them  from  early  infancy,  small  doses  of  snake 
poison  by  the  mouth ;  this  is  kept  up  till  the  age  of  puberty 
when  the  individual  goes  through  a  ceremony  before  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  tribe,  one   feature  of  which   is  to  cause  the 


MISCELLANEOUS  319 

individual  to  be  bitten  by  a  snake.  If  he  dies,  he  is  consid- 
ered unworthy.  If  he  survives,  he  becomes  a  member  of  the 
tribe.  It  is  believed  he  then  can  traverse  the  swamps  with  im- 
punity and  henceforth  be  impervious  to  the  bites  of  the  snakes 
that  infest  that  region ;  in  other  words  that  he  is  immune  and 
that  he  became  immune  by  taking  the  venom  by  the  mouth. 

Typhoid  Fever 

Can  typhoid  fever  be  benefited  or  cured  by  employing  the 
filtrate  of  mucus  from  the  respiratory  tract  as  a  therapeutic 
agent  ?    There  is  much  that  leads  us  to  believe  that  it  can. 

The  acute  inflammation  of  the  respiratory  tract  that  accom- 
panies typhoid  fever  is  one  of  the  diagnostic  symptoms  of  the 
disease.  It  occurs  with  such  regularity  that  it  has  been  called 
in  the  past,  by  many,  Typhoid  Pneumonia.  Several  physicians 
claim  they  have  cured  numerous  cases;  especially  will  I  men- 
tion Dr.  Eric  Vondergoltz,  of  New  York  City,  who  claims  that 
he  has  cured  several  cases  of  typhoid  fever  quickly,  by  inject- 
ing the  filtrate  of  sputum  in  the  early  stages  of  the  disease. 

This  agrees  with  the  original  investigations  of  several  Swiss 
authorities,  who  advance  the  theory  of  parenteral  infection. 
(See  index  for  parenteral  infection.) 

Calcification  of  the  arteries,  hardening  of  nerve  tissue,  etc., 
are  regarded  by  Metchnikoff  as  the  effect  of  chronic  toxemias 
of  bacterial  origin.  Hunt  diligently  for  eruptions  or  skin 
lesions  with  a  pathogenic  exudate  with  the  object  in  view  of 
obtaining  the  causative  microorganisms  and  the  results  will 
often  repay  you  for  the  labor  involved.  Skin  eruptions  are 
often  the  attempts  of  the  tissues  to  rid  the  body  of  the  toxins 
and  microorganisms  within,  or  an  external  manifestation  of  an 
internal  trouble. 

Mittman  mentioned  in  his  work,  seventy-eight  different 
forms  of  cutaneous  bacteria,  of  which  number  fifty-six  are 


320  AUTOTHERAPY 

some  forms  of  the  cocci,  and  we  have  proved  when  the 
staphylococcus  and  streptococcus  are  placed  in  the  mouth  in 
infections  not  associated  with  the  alimentary  canal  or  respira- 
tory system  the  reactions  are  strikingly  prompt  and  curative. 

Some  of  the  most  common  and  stubborn  skin  affections  are 
known  to  be  due  to  these  cocci,  as  furuncles,  carbuncles,  im- 
petigo contagiosa,  coccigenous  sycosis,  pemphigus,  erysipelas 
and  some  forms  of  eczema.  The  writer  has  cured  several  of 
these  diseases  by  means  of  Autotherapy  and  sees  no  reason 
why  other  forms  due  to  other  microorganisms  may  not  be 
cured  in  a  similar  manner,  if  it  is  possible  to  obtain  enough 
of  the  discharge  for  therapeutic  purposes.  There  are  several 
methods  by  which  these  may  be  obtained,  although  each  patient 
should  be  studied  carefully  with  this  end  in  view.  We  may  be 
compelled  at  times  to  make  a  culture  of  the  offending  micro- 
organisms ;  when  this  is  done,  the  writer  believes  it  is  advisable 
to  inoculate  from  six  to  ten  tubes  at  once,  and  utilize 
a  drop  or  two  of  the  liquid  media  collectively  from 
each  tube.  In  this  way  the  elective  affinity  or  the 
tropism  of  the  microorganisms  for  the  parts  on  which  they 
originally  grew,  is  altered  as  little  as  possible  by  the  cul- 
ture media.  The  microorganisms  so  collected  may  either  then 
be  mixed  with  alcohol  and  given  in  repeated  doses  by  the 
mouth,  or  a  filtrate  may  be  prepared  in  the  usual  manner  to 
be  injected  subcutaneously,  according  to  the  needs  of  the  pa- 
tient. Another  method  that  may  be  occasionally  employed 
where  it  appears  impossible  to  obtain  sufficient  amount  of  the 
toxin  for  therapeutic  purposes,  is  to  place  over  the  lesion  a 
small  piece  of  sterile  absorbent  cotton,  or  gauze,  every  day 
until  sufficient  of  the  excretion  is  obtained  by  it  soaking  into 
the  dressings.  Then  place  the  collection  of  these  small  pieces 
of  cotton  or  gauze  in  a  two-ounce  bottle  of  distilled  water, 
to  be  well  shaken  and  allowed  to  stand  for  a  few  hours,  when 


MISCELLANEOUS  321 

the  soluble  toxins  may  be  employed  in  the  manner  previously 
described.  It  is  always  advisable  to  preserve  some  of  the 
toxins  for  a  return  of  the  trouble.  In  chronic  skin  infections 
we  may  often  resort  to  the  method  of  giving  extremely  minute 
doses  in  the  manner  similar  to  that  explained  in  the  chapter 
under  "  Acne  Vulgaris." 

Original  and  ingenious  schemes  may  often  have  to  be  em- 
ployed in  obtaining  the  causative  microorganisms  in  the  various 
infections.  A  novel  means  to  this  end  was  employed  success- 
fully in  one  case  of  dry  cough  where  the  writer  was  not  able 
to  obtain  sufficient  sputum  for  therapeutic  purposes.  Emetic 
doses  of  apomorphin  were  followed  by  bronchial  congestion 
and  the  development  of  sufficient  sputum  for  use  in  the  manner 
described. 

Sleeping  Sickness 

Reports  come  to  the  writer  from  two  separate  sources  in 
India,  that  patients  suffering  with  this  disease  have  been 
cured  by  injecting  subcutaneously  the  patient's  spinal  fluid. 

The  technic  employed  by  a  Medical  Missionary  was  as  fol- 
lows :  One  drachm  of  spinal  fluid  was  mixed  with  an  ounce  of 
distilled  water;  this  was  allowed  to  stand  twelve  hours  with 
occasional  agitation ;  after  which  time  it  was  passed  through  a 
Berkfeld  filter  and  i  c.c.  of  the  fluid  injected  subcutaneously 
at  proper  intervals. 

The  other  physician  withdrew  a  drachm  of  the  spinal  fluid 
and  mixed  it  with  an  ounce  of  water,  then  without  filtering 
injected  it  in  small  doses  subcutaneously.  The  writer  does 
not  endorse  this  technic. 

The  writer  has  had  no  experience  in  the  treatment  of  this 
disease,  but  gives  these  tests  first,  to  illustrate  how  the  prin- 
ciple underlying  the  cures  made  by  Autotherapy  may  be  ex- 
tended, and  second  that  those  who  come  in  contact  with  this 


322  AUTOTHERAPY 

disease  may  know  the  experience  of  others  and  be  stimulated 
to  carry  out  the  tests  along  this  and  other  lines  of  endeavor. 

Whooping  Cough 

The  New  York  State  Department  of  Health  gives  the  fol- 
lowing advice  regarding  whooping  cough : 

"  Don't  consider  whooping  cough  a  trifling  matter.  In  New 
York  State  it  killed  in  one  year  more  than  scarlet  fever,  nearly 
as  many  as  typhoid." 

"  Guard  children  until  six  years  old  with  greatest  care.  The 
fatality  of  whooping  cough  is  six  times  as  great  under  five 
years  as  between  five  and  fifteen." 

Whooping  cough  is  an  infection  of  the  respiratory  tract,  the 
autotherapeutic  treatment  of  which  is  similar  to  that  of  other 
infections  of  the  respiratory  tract,  namely,  as  in  coughs,  colds, 
bronchitis,  etc.,  etc. 

The  glairy  mucus  is  caught  as  it  comes  from  the  nose  or 
throat  on  small  pledgets  of  cotton  or  swabbing  from  the 
throat  which  are  placed  in  distilled  water  and  prepared  in  the 
usual  manner.  The  dose  for  very  young  children  is  from  three 
to  five  drops  of  the  filtrate  subcutaneously. 

Dr.  Francis  E.  Parks,  of  Stoneham,  Mass.,  who  has  used 
Autotherapy  successfully  in  treating  a  number  of  patients, 
was  so  pleased  with  his  results  that  he  states  in  a  letter  to  the 
writer,  "If  Autotherapy  has  done  nothing  else,  its  use  in 
whooping  cough  is  sufficient  to  make  it  a  great  blessing  to 
humanity." 

Dr.  Eric  Vondergoltz  speaks  highly  of  the  use  of  Auto- 
therapy in  whooping  cough. 

Autotherapy  will  modify  the  cough  and  shorten  the  dura- 
tion of  the  disease,  if  it  is  given  at  any  stage.  If  given  early 
and  at  proper  intervals,  it  will  tend  to  cure  the  disease  quickly. 


MISCELLANEOUS  323 

To  those  accustomed  to  treating  these  patients  autothera- 
peutically  the  question  arises  persistently,  "  How  did  I  ever 
do  without  it  ?  " 

Measles,  Scarlet  Fever  and  Diphtheria 

Can  measles,  scarlet  fever  and  diphtheria  be  treated  success- 
fully by  means  of  Autotherapy?  The  writer  has  been  com- 
pelled to  send  patients  suffering  with  these  diseases  to  the  con- 
tagious hospitals,  so  that  he  has  had  but  little  experience  with 
Autotherapy  in  these  contagions. 

In  'Scarlet  fever  and  in  measles  we  know  one  of  the  early 
signs  is  discharge  from  the  nares,  and  a  common  sequela  in 
the  former  is  running  ears.  It  is  believed  by  many  that  the 
streptococcus  plays  an  important  role  in  these  infections  and 
that  possibly  it  is  the  etiological  factor. 

Autotherapy  might  prove  to  be  an  extremely  valuable  ad- 
juvant to  our  present  method  of  treatment,  and  the  writer  sug- 
gests that  those  who  have  opportunity  to  make  tests  along 
autotherapeutic  lines  in  these  contagions  give  this  treatment 
a  fair  trial;  he  would  suggest  that  the  filtrate  be  made  from 
mucus  collected  from  the  nose  or  throat  on  pledgets  of  cotton, 
adding  from  five  to  twenty  drops  of  mucus  to  an  ounce  of  dis- 
tilled water.  This  should  be  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve  hours, 
with  occasional  agitation;  after  which  time  it  is  filtered  and 
from  five  to  ten  drops  of  the  filtrate  injected  subcutaneously, 
according  to  the  patient's  requirements. 

In  diphtheria  the  line  the  writer  would  suggest  to  those  who 
are  immune  to  the  disease,  is  to  place  a  swabbing  from  the 
tonsils  in  an  ounce  of  distilled  water,  allowing  this  to  stand 
twelve  hours;  after  which  time  it  should  be  filtered  and  the 
filtrate  further  diluted  with  distilled  water  to  about  the  2  X  dilu- 
tion, before  injection. 

The  reason  the  small  dose  is  recommended  in  this  acute 


324  AUTOTHERAPY 

disease  is  the  well-known  fact  that  the  Kleb's-Loeffler  Bacillus 
is  one  of  the  few  microorganisms  that  have  a  relatively  large 
amount  of  extra-cellular  toxic  substances. 

Diphtheria  offers  a  most  promising  field  for  autotherapeutic 
treatment. 

Eczema 

Case  221,  Patient,  male,  age  56  years,  had  eczema  on 
the  back  of  both  hands  and  wrists.  The  exudate  was  trans- 
parent and  of  the  consistency  of  honey.  It  formed  crusts  when 
dry  and  there  was  intense  itching.  When  first  seen  the  parts 
were  cleansed  with  surgeon's  soap  and  warm  water  and  per- 
oxide of  hydrogen  and  covered  with  a  double  layer  of  sterile 
gauze.  He  was  told  to  return  in  three  days.  At  this  time 
the  gauze  was  stuck  to  the  parts  and  was  removed  with  diffi- 
culty, leaving  many  bleeding  points.  The  gauze  was  placed  in 
4  ounces  of  distilled  water  and  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve 
hours,  with  occasional  agitation,  after  which  time  the  fluid 
was  passed  through  a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus  and 
I  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  injected  subcutaneously,  every  five  days. 
There  was  distinct  improvement  after  each  injection;  and 
after  the  fifth  injection  the  patient  was  discharged  cured. 

Case  222.  Patient,  female,  age  50  years,  had  very  severe 
eczema  on  left  leg  and  ankle ;  the  itching  was  so  severe,  it  kept 
her  awake  at  night.  The  parts  were  cleansed  with  warm  water 
and  covered  with  sterile  gauze.  This  was  removed  after  forty- 
eight  hours  and  the  stained  portion  of  the  gauze  cut  out  with 
scissors  and  placed  in  2  ounces  of  distilled  water.  At  the  end 
of  12  hours,  2  ounces  of  alcohol  were  added  to  this.  Five 
drops  of  the  decanted  fluid  were  placed  in  4  ounces  of  tap 
water;  of  this  she  was  given  one  teaspoonful  every  hour,  for 
ten  doses.  Within  twenty-four  hours  she  was  distinctly  better, 
the  itching  having  disappeared.  She  was  then  given  one  tea- 
spoonful  three  times  a  day  for  ten  days,  which  cured  up  the 
case. 

These  two  cases  are  given  from  many  that  might  be  cited. 
They  illustrate  not  only  the  technic  but  the  results  that  might 


MISCELLANEOUS  325 

be  confidently  expected  to  follow  the  application  of  Auto- 
therapy to  this  form  of  eczema.  The  writer  distinctly  recalls 
from  memory  a  refractory  case  of  eczema  in  the  right  shoulder 
of  some  years'  standing  in  a  man  who  was  cured  quickly  by 
following  the  technic  of  case  No.  222. 

Several  cases  of  eczema  of  the  scalp,  hands  and  legs  have 
responded  quickly  to  this  treatment.  In  fact,  the  writer  does 
not  recall  an  instance  of  ever  having  failed  to  cure  eczema 
quickly  by  means  of  Autotherapy  when  he  was  able  to  obtain 
sufficient  exudate. 

Erysipelas 

Dr.  Clement  A.  Shute,  of  Pottstown,  Pa.,  and  several  other 
physicians,  as  well  as  the  writer,  have  treated  a  number  of 
patients  suffering  with  erysipelas  successfully,  by  the  following 
technic : 

The  blebs  were  punctured  with  a  hypodermic  needle  and 
as  many  drops  of  serum  as  possible,  up  to  ten,  drawn  into  the 
syringe ;  this  is  mixed  in  an  ounce  of  distilled  water  and  al- 
lowed to  stand  for  a  few  hours  with  occasional  agitation; 
after  which  time  it  is  passed  through  a  Duncan  Autothera- 
peutic  Apparatus  and  from  i  to  4  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  injected 
subcutaneously. 

In  none  of  these  cases,  however,  of  which  I  have  record, 
have  local  applications  been  dispensed  with. 
The  local  application  the  writer  prefers  is  : 
Rx. 

Adrenalin  chloride  1-1,000  |  ss. 

Ichthyol    I  ss. 

Glycerine   q.s.    ad    |  iv 

M.  Sig. — Apply  locally  and  cover  with  a  thin  layer  of 
cotton. 

Riggs  Disease 

Riggs  Disease  is  a  condition  about  which  much  has  been 
written  and  up  to  the  present  time  comparatively  little  offered 


326  AUTOTHERAPY 

of  therapeutic  value.  It  appears  that  Autotherapy  has  some- 
thing to  offer  in  this  condition;  just  how  much,  time  and 
clinical  experience  alone  will  tell.  But  certain  it  is  the  few 
patients  treated  by  this  method,  both  by  the  writer  and  other 
physicians  and  dentists,  have  apparently  recovered.  It  is  gen- 
erally believed  that  Riggs  Disease  may  be  caused  by  patho- 
genic microorganisms  including  the  amebae.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  in  infections  at  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  caused  by 
pathogenic  microorganisms;  autotherapy  would  prove  most 
beneficial.  At  the  present  time,  however,  little  can  be  said 
of  its  application  to  these  conditions  caused  by  the  amebae, 
for  the  reason  that  as  far  as  the  writer  knows,  no  autothera- 
peutic  tests  have  been  made,  where  the  amebae  are  known  to 
be  the  causal  factor. 

The  technic  the  writer  employs  is  to  place  over  the  gums 
(for  example  of  the  upper  teeth)  a  flexible  rubber  covering 
that  fits  closely,  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  small  tube  or 
opening  to  which  a  suction  pump  is  attached  by  means  of 
rubber  tubing.  There  is  a  trap  in  the  tube  leading  from  the 
mouthpiece  to  the  pump  which  catches  any  material  passing 
down  the  tube.  Using  this  apparatus  for  the  first  time,  one  is 
usually  surprised  to  see  the  large  amount  of  debris,  blood, 
pus,  etc.,  that  is  caught  in  the  trap.  At  either  end  of  the 
mouthpiece  or  at  either  side  near  the  position  of  the  wisdom 
tooth,  is  a  similar  tube  that  is  an  integral  part  of  the  mouth- 
piece, these  are  closed  with  pinch  cocks.  When  a  partial 
vacuum  has  been  maintained  around  the  teeth  for  a  few  min- 
utes, first  one  and  then  the  other  of  the  little  tubes  at  the 
extremity  of  the  mouthpiece  are  placed  in  a  small  glass  of 
warm  water.  The  water  passing  on  down  the  mouthpiece 
between  and  around  the  teeth,  to  the  exhaust  opening  or  tube, 
in  the  middle,  washes  out  the  accumulated  debris  which  is 
caught  in  the  trap.    The  water  in  the  trap,  which  should  not 


MISCELLANEOUS  327 

be  more  than  an  ounce  or  two,  is  allowed  to  stand  for  twelve 
hours,  with  occasional  agitation;  after  which  time  it  is  passed 
through  a  Duncan  Autotherapeutic  Apparatus,  and  a  few 
drops,  from  five  to  ten  minims,  with  2  c.c.  of  sterile  water,  are 
injected  subcutaneously,  preferably  over  the  biceps  muscle. 
Encouraging  reports  have  come  from  time  to  time  regarding 
this  treatment  although  the  writer  has  had  but  few  cases  under 
his  own  personal  observation  and  treatment;  these  cases  have 
all  improved  markedly  within  a  week. 

Dr.  Edgar  V.  Moffat,  of  Montclair,  N.  J.  reports  the  fol- 
lowing case : 

Case  223.  "  A  case  of  pyorrhea  alveolaris  was  referred  to 
me  by  a  dentist.  Under  his  local  treatment  all  of  the  teeth 
improved  but  one  section  of  the  gum  where  the  roots  and 
sockets  were  so  badly  infected  that  he  considered  it  incurable. 
I  obtained  the  toxins  from  this  area  by  suction  and  gave  her  a 
stiff  dose  of  the  filtrate.  There  was  a  sharp  reaction  following 
each  treatment,  and  when  she  returned  to  the  dentist,  to  use 
his  own  words,  '  He  found  the  condition  miraculously  im- 
proved, and  well  under  control.'    She  soon  recovered." 

Powdered  Glass 

In  developing  a  new  system  of  therapy  many  problems  arise 
that  require  solution.  Among  those  that  have  presented  them- 
selves in  the  discovery  and  the  development  of  Autotherapy  is. 
How  to  obtain  glass  in  a  sufficient  state  of  subdivision  as  to 
render  it  most  useful  in  grinding  and  destroying  the  smaller 
microorganisms  and  their  spores  ?  By  the  following  method  we 
are  able  to  obtain  ground  glass  in  any  state  of  subdivision,  at 
least  fine  enough  for  all  practical  purposes.  The  method  of 
procedure  is  as  follows:  Sterile  bottles  are  broken  and  thor- 
oughly ground  in  a  sterile  iron  mortar  with  an  iron  pestle.  An 
ounce  of  this  mixture  is  placed  in  a  sterile  quart  bottle  full  of 
distilled  water  and  this  is  thoroughly  agitated  and  allowed  to 


328  AUTOTHERAPY 

stand.  The  heavier  particles  sink  to  the  bottom  quickly,  and 
the  glass  in  a  fine  state  of  subdivision  will  be  slow  in  settling. 
The  top  part  is  poured  off  into  a  sterile  basin,  and  the  fluid 
is  evaporated  by  heat ;  then  the  ground  glass  is  collected  in  the 
shape  of  a  fine  powder.  It  is  evident  it  will  take  longer  for 
the  finer  particles  to  settle  than  the  larger  or  heavier  ones,  and 
a  bottle  that  is  allowed  to  settle  for  one  minute  will  have  glass 
in  a  finer  state  of  subdivision  and  fewer  large  particles  in  it 
than  one  that  is  allowed  to  settle  for  ten  seconds.  Within 
limits,  the  longer  the  contents  of  the  bottle  is  allowed  to  settle 
the  more  certain  we  are  of  removing  the  relatively  larger 
granules.  For  practical  purposes  one-half  minute  will  suf- 
fice; although  in  performing  some  very  careful  tests  it  may 
be  allowed  to  settle  for  two  or  three  minutes  before  it  is 
evaporated  in  the  pan  and  the  fine  glass  dust  collected. 


A  COURSE  IN  AUTOTHERAPY  FOR  PHYSICIANS 

'Recognizing  an  idea  is  grasped  easier  and  retained  longer 
from  an  ocular  demonstration  than  from  printed  matter,  the 
writer  announced  in  August,  191 5,  a  Summer  Course  in  AUTO- 
THERAPY for  Physicians.  Fifteen  (15)  were  enrolled. 
The  Course  consisted  of  lectures  and  practical  demonstrations. 
By  this  means  the  theory  and  practice  of  AUTOTHERAPY 
were  studied,  the  students  preparing  and  administering  the 
toxins  and  watching  the  progress  of  patients  while  under  treat- 
ment, managing  them  under  the  guidance  of  the  author.  The 
anaphalaxis  and  recuperating  power  of  the  patient  compared, 
interpretation  of  their  reactions  and  their  clinical  significance 
recorded.  In  fact  the  practical  application  of  AUTO- 
THERAPY was  reviewed  as  far  as  it  had  been  developed. 


COURSE  IN  AUTOTHERAPY  FOR  PHYSICIANS    329 

It  appears  almost  superfluous  to  state  the  application  of  the 
principle  is  not  complete;  it  is  possible  it  never  will  be,  for 
even  yet  the  subject  is  developing  along  many  lines  of  thought 
as  the  ever-widening  scope  of  its  application  is  being  advanced 
by  specialists.  For  example, — the  study  of  the  sporadic  out- 
breaks in  different  parts  of  the  country  last  winter  of  "  In- 
fluenza," "  LaGrippe,"  "  Colds,"  and  "  Sore  Throats  "  would 
yield  much  if  studied  from  an  autotherapeutic  point  of  view. 
The  treatment  of  patients  suffering  with  Scarlet  Fever,  with 
their  own  blood,  is  particularly  encouraging.  Hodgkin's  dis- 
ease, regardless  of  our  present  accepted  theory  that  it  is  a  true 
tumor  formation  of  the  nature  of  a  sarcoma,  has  apparently 
yielded  in  some  instances  to  AUTOTHERAPY.  "  Trench 
Nephritis "  is  interesting  when  studied  autotherapeutically, 
since  the  streptococcus  has  been  suggested  as  an  exciting  in- 
flunce.  Acidosis  is  believed  now  to  be  a  symptom  of  many 
infections  and,  as  such,  yields  readily  to  AUTOTHERAPY. 
When  we  come  to  the  modern  conception  of  allergy,  the 
hypersusceptibility  of  patients  suffering  with  Hay  Fever, 
Asthma,  etc.,  to  certain  foreign  protean  substances  and  the 
cutaneous  reactions  diagnosing  the  remedy,  it  is  highly  im- 
portant to  review  the  relations  of  this  new  therapy  to  AUTO- 
THERAPY, since  we  are  treating  the  patient  with  the  sub- 
stance that  causes  the  symptoms.  The  writer's  definition  of 
disease  should  be  recalled  in  this  connection.  Disease  is  the 
proving  of  toxic  substances,  and  symptoms  are  the  result. 
Symptoms  are  the  expression  or  language  of  toxic  substances 
in  the  patient's  body. 

The  cure  of  disease  consists  in  immunizing  the  patient  to  the 
substance  that  caused  the  symptoms.  It  is  intensely  gratifying 
to  students  of  AUTOTHERAPY  to  observe  the  increased 
degree  of  attention  that  is  being  directed  to  these  and  many 
other  autotherapeutic  lines  of  thought. 


330  AUTOTHERAPY 

In  the  Course  of  lectures  described  above,  it  is  self-evident 
that  many  points  of  value  are  discussed  that  otherwise  could 
not  be  obtained  except  by  wide  reading  and  extensive  clinical 
experience.  In  these  lectures  the  writer  exhibits  many  pa- 
tients undergoing  active  treatment  for  Rheumatism,  Pulmonary 
Tuberculosis,  Sinus  involvements,  pelvic  infections,  etc.,  with 
comparisons  and  analysis  of  resistance  offered  by  the  patients. 

Since  the  191 5  Class  many  physicians  have  availed  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  of  taking  this  Course.  Instruction  is 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  specialist  and  to  physicians  with 
limited  time  at  their  disposal.  The  students  are  taken  either 
singly  or  in  groups.  In  this  way,  physicians  from  New  York 
and  neighboring  cities,  missionaries  from  China,  physicians 
from  South  America,  and  those  who  take  the  Summer  Course 
at  the  Post  Graduate  and  Polyclinic  Medical  Colleges  were 
enrolled.  Some  physicians  take  their  summer  vacation  in 
New  York  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  instruction  in  AUTO- 
THERAPY. The  advantages  of  this  Course  are  apparent, 
for  by  this  means  only  can  the  physician  become  familiar 
quickly  with  the  practical  application  of  this  new  therapy  and 
be  in  a  position  to  readily  utilize  his  knowledge  in  his  practice. 
The  students  have  access  to  all  of  the  writer's  case  reports. 

When  it  is  realized  that  AUTOTHERAPY  covers  prac- 
tically the  whole  field  of  curative  medicine,  and  much  that  lies 
entirely  without  its  borders,  it  is  not  surprising  that  practically 
every  student  has  stated  that  any  one  lecture  is  worth  more 
than  the  price  paid  for  the  entire  Course. 

The  Course  includes  six  (6)  lectures  and  practical  demon- 
strations, and  is  open  at  any  time. 


INDORSEMENTS 

The  Briton  Corlies  Memorial  Hospital 
(West  China  Baptist  Mission) 

Yachow,  West  China,  June  lo,  1916. 
Dear  Dr.  Duncan  : — 

During  my  last  year  in  medical  school  (Yale)  I  became 
interested  in  your  work  in  Autogenous  Toxin  Therapy,  and  at 
that  time  I  did  a  little  work  along  the  line  suggested  by  you  in 
your  article  in  the  Medical  Record,  September  6,  191 1.  Be- 
cause of  the  opposition  to  the  theory  I  was  not  permitted  to  do 
much  and  therefore  had  little  that  would  be  of  interest  to  you. 
However,  since  that  time  I  have  come  out  here  (2,000)  miles 
inland  from  Shanghai,  to  take  charge  of  the  above  mentioned 
hospital.  It  has  taken  about  two  years  to  get  the  plant  in 
any  shape  with  the  result  that  I  have  just  opened  up.  Have 
been  running  a  dispensary  daily,  connected  with  the  hospital, 
however,  for  some  months.  Now  there  are  two  things  I  am 
trying  to  get  at  in  this  letter.  One  is  that  I  want  to  assure  you 
that  there  is  a  world  of  truth  in  what  you  have  to  say  about 
your  work.  The  other  is  I  would  like  to  have  any  reprints  you 
may  have  or  reports  made  by  you  or  others,  on  the  subject  of 
Autotherapy,  since  191 1.  I  have  been  asked  to  read  a  paper 
before  the  medical  conference  of  the  medical  men  of  this  prov- 
ince, at  Chengtu,  this  coming  Fall.  Would  like  to  add  my 
results  here  to  yours,  and  present  them  to  the  conference. 

It  will  interest  you  to  know  that  all  of  the  men  I  have  met 
out  here  seem  to  think  the  theory  and  practice  absurd.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  have  been  able,  I  think,  to  demonstrate  to  some 
of  them  whether  the  theory  is  correct  or  not ;  the  practice  is  a 
real  factor  in  many  cases.  The  nature  of  my  work  so  far  de- 
mands that  all  patients  go  home  from  day  to  day.  Shall  not 
go  into  detail  about  cases  in  which  I  know  the  treatment  sug- 
gested by  you  has  helped;  but  shall  simply  note  one  case  to 
show  you  how  I  treat  my  patients: 

331 


332  AUTOTHERAPY 

Patient,  male,  has  been  having  a  series  of  boils  for  months, 
came  to  me  with  one  on  the  back  of  his  neck  as  large  as  a 
hen's  egg,  which  he  said  was  the  twenty-fifth  he  had  had,  and 
certainly  his  anatomy  proved  his  assertion.  Without  even 
washing  the  skin  with  water,  I  lanced  the  boil  and  secured  two 
teaspoonfuls  of  thick  greenish  pus.  This  I  placed  in  loo  c.c. 
of  water,  shook  well,  added  cochineal  for  color,  and  gave  it 
to  the  man  with  directions  to  take  one-third  at  once,  one-third 
in  three  hours  and  the  balance  in  three  hours.  Sent  him  home 
and  told  him  to  return  the  next  morning.  Came  back  swear- 
ing he  had  had  no  fever,  or  as  they  say  here,  he  had  not  called 
up  the  fire,  that  he  had  eaten  and  slept  better  than  he  had  for 
months.  Upon  examination,  found  that  the  knife  wound  had 
partly  healed  and  that  the  infiltration  which  covered  most  of 
the  neck  posterior,  had  loosened  considerably.  Opened  the 
wound  with  gentle  pressure  and  secured  about  half  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  straw-colored  serum,  sent  him  home  with  this  mixed  as 
the  pus  was  mixed  the  day  before.  In  forty-eight  hours  after 
the  time  I  lanced  him,  he  was  back  to  give  me  the  pus  bottle, 
saying  that  he  was  all  right  and  needed  no  more  medicine. 
Upon  examination,  found  the  infiltration  was  all  gone  and  a 
good  scab  forming  in  the  line  of  the  incision.  That  was  three 
months  ago  and  I  have  seen  the  man  (water  carrier)  every 
day  since  and  he  has  had  no  return.  He  feels  grateful  for 
what  help  I  gave  him  and  especially  as  the  medicine  cost  him 
only  lOO  cash  (3  cents)  which  by  the  way  was  all  profit  (  ?) 
for  me  since  water  costs  nothing  and  the  pus  was  his.  From 
that  time  on,  all  pus  cases  have  been  coming  due  to  the  adver- 
tisement this  man  gave  me.  Fresh  cases  of  gonorrhea  as 
well  as  some  as  old  as  the  Chinese  Republic,  eyes  running 
pus  from  all  causes  mentioned  in  our  books,  as  well  as  from 
causes  not  mentioned  in  any  book ;  gonorrheal  buboes,  virulent 
buboes  accompanying  or  following  chancroid,  impetigo  con- 
tagiosa, psoriasis,  ringworm  which  has  the  habit  of  becoming 
purulent  here  due  to  the  filthy  habits  of  the  people  and  their 
centuries-long  habit  of  picking  at  everything,  puerperal  sepsis ; 
all  these  and  many  others  which  I  cannot  classify,  have  come 
for  treatment  by  my  wonderful  method  of  mixing  drugs  ( ?). 
The  latter  case  w^as  most  interesting.  (See  chapter,  Gynecol- 
ogy and  Obstetrics.) 


I 


INDORSEMENTS  333 

In  all  cases  I  have  given  the  crude  pus  or  the  crude  wash- 
ings of  dressings  worn  or  sponges  used  to  mop  up  secretions, 
as  in  the  case  of  eczema  or  the  crude  washings  or  soakings  of 
scabs  as  in  the  case  of  impetigo  contagiosa,  ringworm  (in- 
fected), etc.,  all  by  the  mouth.  Have  not  had  one  case  where 
there  was  any  subjective  symptom.  Should  have  said  that 
every  case  that  comes  in  is  treated  by  this  method,  if  we  can 
find  any  pus,  scabs  or  excretions  of  any  kind.  Now  none  of 
the  natives  so  far,  have  any  idea  of  what  I  am  doing. 

I  neglected  to  say  that  at  first  I  gave  small  doses,  but  soon 
found  they  were  not  effective.  I  think  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  it  takes  more  of  any  kind  of  treatment  for  these  people 
than  for  the  people  of  our  own  race. 

Now  if  these  facts  are  of  any  use  to  you,  use  them,  and  if 
not  put  them  where  they  belong.  Later  when  I  get  more  help 
I  will  keep  a  more  detailed  account  of  cases  both  for  myself 
and  for  you,  provided  you  care  for  them. 

Trusting  that  this  will  find  you  hard  at  work  at  it,  and  in 
good  health,  I  am. 

Fraternally  yours, 

G.  Glass  Davitt,  M.D. 

Dr.  William  H.  Dieffenbach,  Professor  of  Physical  Therapeu- 
tics at  the  New  York  Medical  College  and  Hospital  for 
Women : 
"  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  heartily  endorse  Dr.  Charles  H. 
Duncan  for  his  remarkable  discovery  and  elaboration  of  Auto- 
therapy, which  in  bacterial  diseases  is  destined  to  supersede 
vaccines  and  other  immunizing  methods.     I  desire  to  make 
my  endorsement  of  Dr.  Duncan  in  medicine,  as  strong  as  pen 
and  ink  can  make  it  and  refer  you  to  his  numerous  articles 
on  the  subject,  which  have  been  published  in  the  United  States 
of  America  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe." 

Dr.  Charles  Deady,  Dean  of  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Medi- 
cal College  and  Hospital,  New  York  City : 
"  In  the  discovery  of  the  principle  of  the  cure  which  has 
been  made  by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan,  of  New  York  City,  and 
which  he  has  termed  Autotherapy,  a  contribution  has  been 


334  AUTOTHERAPY 

made  to  our  therapeutics  which  is  of  the  greatest  value  to  the 
medical  profession;  and  if  his  methods  are  thoroughly  ex- 
amined and  correctly  applied,  the  results  would  convince  any 
fair-minded  person  that  his  investigations  and  experiments 
covering  many  years  of  hard  and  unremitting  labor,  have  been 
most  important  in  their  findings  and  have  furnished  new  and 
powerful  weapons  in  the  never-ending  conflict  with  disease. 
As  we  both  live  and  practice  medicine  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  it  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  the  writer  to  have  seen 
many  of  Dr.  Duncan's  cases  as  they  were  presented  at  the 
meetings  of  our  medical  societies,  to  watch  the  progress  of 
such  cases  under  treatment,  and  to  be  assured  of  the  perma- 
nence of  the  results.  The  writer  has  also  made  numerous 
observations  of  hospital  cases  in  his  own  service  and  that  of 
other  surgeons,  and  has  seen  results  that  would  be  considered 
remarkable  under  ordinary  methods  of  treatment.  As  the  dis- 
coverer of  a  method  which  is  a  distinct  advance  in  medical 
science  and  which  is  likely  to  be  a  great  boon  to  humanity  in 
general,  it  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  that  the  writer  most 
cordially  endorses  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan." 

Dr.  Harvey  D.  Morris,  Port  Arthur,  Texas: 

"  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  endorse  Dr.  Charles  H.  Dun- 
can, of  New  York  City ;  he  is  a  true  pioneer.  Have  repeatedly 
used  his  method  of  Autotherapy  with  specific  effects,  in  acute 
gonorrhea,  boils,  infected  wounds,  etc.  Autotherapy  has  al- 
ways proved  prompt  in  its  effect  and  decided  in  its  cure." 

Dr.  George  W.  Galvin,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  states : 

"  I  am  using  Autotherapy  now  to  the  exclusion  of  all  vac- 
cines. I  have  been  using  it  continuously  and  successfully  for 
the  past  seven  years  and  value  it  highly.  In  acute  infections 
the  response  is  usually  quick  and  striking ;  in  chronic  infections 
there  is  nothing  that  will  equal  it.  I  am  venturing  nothing  in 
prophesying  that  its  wide  range  of  application  will  cause  it  to 
be  universally  used  when  the  profession  becomes  familiar  with 
its  technic." 


Dr.  William  A.  Pearson,  Dean  of  Hahnemann  Medical  Col 
lege  and  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  Pa. : 


I 


INDORSEMENTS  335 

"  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan  has  developed  a  new  field  of  medi- 
cal thought  and  like  many  discoverers,  his  contribution  consists 
of  a  recognition  of  a  simple  law  of  Nature.  The  mere  fact 
that  Dr.  Duncan  has  recognized  this  law  and  applied  it  to  the 
alleviation  of  disease,  is  in  itself  a  remarkable  discovery;  but 
the  fact  that  his  clinical  results  fully  substantiate  the  law  and 
make  possible  the  relief  of  human  suffering,  is  a  still  greater 
triumph," 

Dr.  James  M.  Ward,  Dean  of  the  Hahnemann  Medical  Col- 
lege of  the  Pacific,  San  Francisco,  Cal. : 
"  I  desire  to  testify  to  the  very  remarkable  service  that  Dr. 
Charles  H.  Duncan  has  made  to  the  world  in  the  discovery 
and  elaboration  of  Autotherapy.  It  is  a  distinct  advance  in 
Therapeutics,  a  probable  corollary  of  the  great  law  of  similars 
as  applied  to  drug  action  and  deserves  recognition.  Dr.  Dun- 
can's standing  in  the  profession  is  eminent  and  recognized 
throughout  America." 

Dr.  Royal  S.  Copeland,  Commissioner  of  the  Department  of 
Health,  New  York  City: 
"  I  am  conversant  with  the  labors  of  Dr.  Charles  H. 
Duncan  in  the  line  of  Autotherapy.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  in  the  last  analysis  his  ideas  are  scientific  in  their  founda- 
tion and  successful  in  their  application.  Dr.  Duncan  is  a  faith- 
ful, conscientious  and  painstaking  student  of  medicine." 

Dr.  Claude  A.  Burrett,  Dean  of  the  Ohio  State  University, 
Columbus,  Ohio: 
"  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan,  of  New  York  City,  in  his  re- 
searches along  the  line  of  Autotherapy  has  made  a  most  valu- 
able contribution  to  the  world  of  science.  His  work  has  been 
reviewed  and  verified  in  a  very  wide  range  of  infectious  con- 
ditions, both  upon  men  and  animals.  Dr.  Duncan  has  shown 
himself  to  be  a  thorough  conscientious  worker  in  the  field  of 
science  and  should  receive  due  consideration  as  such.  In  his 
principle  of  Autotherapy  he  has  made  a  contribution  to  humane 
ity  which  is  worthy  of  consideration." 

Dr.    G.    H.    Laidlaw,    Professor   of    Medicine,    New   York 


336      '  AUTOTHERAPY 

Homoeopathic  College,  Consulting  Physician  to  Yonkers 
Homoeopathic    Hospital,    Consulting    Physician    to    St. 
Mary's  Hospital,  Passaic,  N.  J. 
"  I  recommend  cheerfully  and  conscientiously,  Dr.  Charles 
H.  Duncan,  of  New  York  City,  for  his  work  in  Autotherapy. 
I  have  been  familiar  with  his  work  since  its  inception,  have 
used  it  in  my  practice  and  value  it  highly  as  a  means  of  sav- 
ing life  and  curing  disease.    Dr.  Duncan  has  worked  faithfully 
for  many  years  developing  Autotherapy.     He  has  given  his 
results  and  methods  freely  to  his  fellow  physicians.     He  has 
never  kept  it  secret  or  attempted  to  make  any  money  out  of  it. 
The  work  developed  by  Dr.  Duncan  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
great  discoveries  in  medicine,  and  will  be  adopted  widely  as 
more  physicians  become  acquainted  with  it." 


WHAT  OTHERS  SAY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY 

Dr.  John  Besson,  of  the  Sellwood  &  Besson  General  Hospital 
and  Training  School  for  Nurses,  of  Portland,  Oregon : 

"  Truly,  Dr.  Duncan,  I  feel  that  my  patients  cannot  get  well 
nowadays  unless  I  have  some  Autotherapy  to  ofifer  them,  and 
if  it  is  a  case  presenting  an  opportunity  for  Autotherapy  I 
have  no  concern  for  the  outcome.  Suffice  to  say  we  invariably 
treat  our  patients  autotherapeutically  in  connection  with  other 
well-known  methods  of  treatment." 

Dr.  Besson  says  in  the  Northwest  Medicine,  November, 
1914;  "At  the  Sellwood  Hospital  we  have  wide  and  favor- 
able experience  with  Duncan's  teachings  in  many  varieties  of 
infections,  even  to  long-standing  chronic  bronchitis,  and  I  refer 
you  to  his  numerous  and  classic  writings  on  the  subject.  Dr. 
Charles  H.  Duncan  is  the  most  ingenious  of  autotherapeutists. 
I  predict  Monuments  or  Bronze  Tablets  will  mark  his  birth- 
place.   The  Nobel  Prize  should  belong  to  Dr.  Duncan." 


Dr.  R.  L.  Rierson,  of  Dixon,  California : 

"  I  am  using  Autotherapy  successfully  in  all  kinds  of  in 
fectious  diseases.    It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  only  a  question 


1 


WHAT  OTHERS  SAY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY     337 

time  when  prejudice  will  be  unhorsed  and  the  sick  and  afflicted 
will  learn  the  thing  that  gives  the  best  service." 

Dr.  D.  C  Haverland : 

"  I  am  sure  that  Autotherapy  needs  but  further  elaboration 
to  prove  almost  a  '  cure-all '  for  every  disease  caused  by  bac- 
terial infection." 

Dr.  S.  W.  Frederick,  of  Kokomo,  Indiana: 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  unselfish  attitude  towards  the  pro- 
fession. I  am  glad  that  you  love  your  profession  for  humanity's 
sake  and  not  for  selfish  motives." 

Dr.  Harvey  D.  Morris,  Port  Arthur,  Texas : 

"  The  great  work  you  have  started  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant in  medicine." 

Dr.  R.  L.  Rierson,  Dixon,  Cal. : 

"  I  believe  Autotherapy  will  relieve  more  suffering  than  any- 
thing that  has  come  before  the  medical  profession." 

Dr.  C.  L.  Moore,  Cleveland,  Ohio: 

"  I  consider  Autotherapy  the  most  satisfactory  therapeutics 
with  which  I  am  familiar.  I  read  a  paper  on  your  methods 
before  the  physicians'  hospital  association.  I  am  using  Auto- 
therapy extensively  in  all  my  hospital  and  private  practice  and 
have  been  successful  in  every  case  except  three  cases  that 
were  not  treated  in  accord  with  your  teachings." 

Dr.  Otto  Casey,  Terre  Haute,  Indiana : 

"  I  have  had  results  in  the  use  of  Autotherapy  that  have  been 
most  brilliant." 

Dr.  Charles  D.  Freeman,  St.  Paul,  Minn.: 

"  If  there  is  anything  in  vaccine  therapy,  you  have  certainly 
hit  the  nail  on  the  head.  It  appeals  to  me  as  being  strictly 
scientific." 

Dr.  Walter  Sands  Mills,  Professor  of  Medicine,  New  York 
Medical  College  and  Flower  Hospital : 


338  AUTOTHERAPY 

"  The  most  logical  vaccine  is  prepared  according  to  the 
method  of  Autotherapy  suggested  by  Dr.  Charles  H.  Duncan, 
of  New  York  City." 

Dr.  Fenner,  Sacramento,  California: 

"  I  have  cured  many  cases  of  infections  of  the  respiratory 
tract  where  every  other  means  at  my  command  utterly  failed." 

Dr.  M.  C.  Curtner,  Vincennes,  Indiana: 

"  I  have  been  having  such  good  success  with  Autotherapy 
that  almost  all  of  the  physicians  of  my  city  request  me  to 
make  the  autotherapeutic  filtrate  for  them  instead  of  the  auto- 
genous vaccines.  I  am  using  Autotherapy  successfully  in  all 
kinds  of  localized  infections." 

Dr.  P.  T.  Geyerman,  Hot  Springs,  North  Dakota: 

"  Results  of  treatment  with  Autotherapy  have  been  miracu- 
lous." 

Dr.  Walter  R.  Grutzmann,  D.V.S.,  Veterinary  of  the   15th 
U.  S.  Cavalry,  stationed  at  Fort  Bliss,  Texas: 
"  I  am  pleased  to  report  to  you  fifteen  cases  of  purulent  in- 
fections in  animals  treated  with  Autotherapy,  with  one  hun- 
dred per  cent,  cures."' 

Dr.  Daniel  E.  Coleman,  of  New  York  City,  reports: 

A  far-off  cry  of  appreciation  comes  from  a  Medical  Mis- 
sionary in  the  Philippine  Islands,  "  I  am  saving  the  women 
from  operation  following  gonorrhea." 

Dr.  Frederick  G.  Canney,  San  Francisco,  Cal. : 

"  I  think  it  is  no  more  than  justice  to  you  for  others  who 
have  tried  out  your  methods  to  tell  you  of  it.  I  have  used  your 
method  of  treatment  in  many  infections  and  produced  splendid 
results.  Your  filtrates  are  a  great  improvement  over  the 
vaccines." 

Dr.  Alexander  Vertes,  Louisville,  Ky. : 

"  I  have  used  your  method  in  septic  conditions,  and  in  pul- 
monary diseases  and  am  happy  to  report  to  you  that  in  all 


WHAT  OTHERS  SAY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY     339 

cases  treated  by  Autotherapy,  I  find  it  superior  to  all  methods 
known  to  me  at  the  present  time." 

Dr.  Orrin  F.  Burroughs,  Plainwell,  Mich.: 

"  I  have  been  using  your  method  of  curing  diseases  now 
over  a  year,  with  great  satisfaction,  almost  invariably  with 
success." 

Dr.  Shute,  Pottstown,  Pa. : 

"  I  am  using  Autotherapy  continually  and  successfully  in  all 
kinds  of  infectious  diseases." 

Dr.  Francis  E.  Sparks,  Stoneham,  Mass. : 

"  You  have  given  the  Medical  Profession  another  weapon 
of  great  power  against  disease,  and  I  am  personally  grateful 
to  you  for  telling  me  of  it." 

The  Veterinary  Medical  Association,  of  New  York  City,  N.  Y. : 
"  Dr.  Duncan's  name  will  always  be  in  the  hearts  and  on  the 
tongues  of  men  in  grateful  acknowledgment  and  appreciation 
of  this  his  great  work  in  Autotherapy." 

Dr.  Alfred  S.  Mattson,  Bee  Building,  Omaha,  Neb.: 

"  I  am  working  along  the  lines  you  have  suggested  in  your 
articles  on  Autotherapy  and  have  a  number  of  cases  that 
prove  your  contention." 

Dr.  George  F.  Laidlaw,  Professor  of  Theory  and  Practice  at 
New  York  Medical  College  and  Flower  Hospital,  says : 
"  While  this  treatment  is  new,  it  is  not  a  wild  experiment. 
It  is  the  logical  conclusion  of  the  work  of  Koch,  of  Pasteur 
and  Wright  with  his  vaccines.  It  is  merely  one  step  forward 
in  the  regular  revelopment  of  bacterial  therapeutics.  Dr. 
Duncan  has  solved  a  problem  that  has  been  germinating  in 
medicine  for  over  a  thousand  years." 

Dr.  James  Law,  ex-Dean  and  Emeritus  Professor  of  New  York 
State  Veterinary  Medical  College  at  Cornell  University, 
says: 
"  This  is  one  of  the  greatest  therapeutic  advances  of  the  age. 

As  Dr.  Duncan  has  said  his  method  of  curing  disease  is  the 


340  AUTOTHERAPY 

natural  method.  By  means  of  Autotherapy  the  physicians  may 
assist  the  tissues  in  bringing  about  a  natural  cure  in  more  than 
fifty  per  cent,  of  the  diseases  that  tend  to  recover  by  them- 
selves." 

Dr.  D.  J.  Mangan,  Chief  Veterinarian  of  the  Department  of 
Street  Cleaning,  New  York  City,  after  making  hundreds 
of  tests  on  animals  says : 
"  The  brilliant  results  I  have  viritnessed  after  the  applica- 
tion of  this  treatment  has  made  me  feel  that  to  ignore  it  in 
pyogenic  infections  would  be  nothing  short  of  criminal  neglect 
on  my  part." 

Dr.  J.  B.  Riley,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo. : 

"  Experience  during  the  last  six  months  has  demonstrated 
to  my  entire  conviction  that  your  teaching  is  absolutely  in  line 
with  Nature's  method  of  protection  and  cure :  and  I  take  pleas- 
ure in  offering  you  encouragement  in  your  efforts  to  make 
practical  the  advancement  you  have  made." 

Dr.  James  Ross,  Moline,  111. : 

"  The  theory  of  Autotherapy  as  advanced  by  you  appeals 
to  me  strongly.  I  can  readily  appreciate  the  objections  raised 
by  you  against  the  whole  subject-matter  of  present-day  vaccine 
therapy,  and  accept  with  avidity  the  possibilities  of  your  new 
therapy.  I  have  used  vaccines  since  the  time  of  Wright,  but 
the  results  I  have  with  your  autogenous  toxins  are  incom- 
parable; I  am  using  them  altogether." 

Dr.  James  R.  Vincent,  East  End,  Pittsburg,  Pa. : 

"  Autotherapy  is  the  most  rational  and  scientific  therapy  I 
know  of." 

Dr.  C.  M.  Haverland,  Denver,  Col. 

"  Autotherapy  sounds  the  keynote  in  the  treatment  of  many 
diseases." 

Dr.  F.  J.  Champney,  Toledo,  Ohio : 

"  Autotherapy  strikes  me  as  being  the  most  rational  thera- 
peutics that  has  yet  been  given  us." 


WHAT  OTHERS  SAY  OF  AUTOTHERAPY     341 

Dr.  M.  G.  Reynolds,  Woodbury,  Conn.: 

"  I  am  strongly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  Autotherapy  is 
of  extraordinary  value  to  the  country  physician." 

Dr.  Maurice  H.  Tallman,  Secretary  County  Board  of  Health, 
Boise  City,  Idaho: 
"  I  have  not  tried  it  in  as  many  cases  as  you  have,  but  in 
those  that  I  have  employed  autotherapeutic  measures  the  re- 
sults have  been  very  gratifying." 

Dr.  H.  E.  Stroud,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. : 

"  I  am  a  devout  believer  in  vaccines,  and  have  made  use  of 
them  since  the  time  of  Wright.  You  go  a  step  further.  I  am 
with  you,  doctor,  because  I  believe  you  have  struck  it." 

Dr.  E.  E.  Mills,  New  York  City : 

"  I  never  saw  another  remedy  act  so  quickly  and  beautifully 
in  my  life." 

Dr.  P.  E.  Gregory,  Reno,  Neb.: 

"  I  am  confident  Autotherapy  will  attract  universal  atten- 
tion, and  will  be  an  addition  to  our  armamentarium." 

Dr.  Paul  F.  Ela,  East  Douglas,  Mass. : 

'■  The  absence  of  pain  and  excessive  swelling  is  especially 
noteworthy  in  this  treatment." 

Dr.  Eric  Vondergoltz,  New  York  City : 

**  Autotherapy  is  one  of  the  few  things  that  will  endure  all 
time." 

Dr.  Otto  Casey,  Terre  Haute,  Indiana: 

"  The  possibilities  of  Autotherapy  appear  to  be  unending." 

Dr.  Thomas  B.  Kenny,  Edinborough  University,  Master  of 
Surgery : 
"I  cured  a  case  of  pericarditis  followed  by  acute  arthritis 
of  the  left  wrist  and  right  knee  by  Autotherapy.  There  was  a 
complete  disappearance  of  all  pain  in  wrist  and  knee  within 
three  or  four  days.  In  ten  days  the  patient  was  well.  No 
return  now  seven  months." 


342  AUTOTHERAPY 

Dr.  August  K.  Detwiler,  Omaha,  Neb.: 

"  I  take  great  pleasure  in  reporting  four  cases  of  old  chronic 
bronchitis  of  eight  to  twelve  years'  standing,  which  have  made 
good  recoveries  under  Autotherapy.  Dr.  Nason,  a  dentist  of 
this  city,  reports  two  cases  of  gingivitis  pyorrhea  that  made 
remarkable  recoveries  under  this  treatment.  I  reported  many 
other  cases  in  a  paper  to  the  Nicholas  Senn  Medical  Society.  I 
assure  you  I  prefer  to  use  the  bacterial  tissue-toxin-complex 
to  the  autogenous  vaccines.  These  latter  surely  do  not  meet 
all  of  the  indications." 

Dr.  Alfred  Matson,  Omaha,  Neb.: 

"  I  am  working  along  autotherapeutic  lines,  and  have  a  num- 
ber of  cases  that  prove  your  contentions." 

Dr.  Robert  Watt,  Philadelphia,  Pa. : 

"  I  have  tried  Autotherapy  on  a  few  cases  with  excellent 
results." 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE 

Appointed  by  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society 
OF  THE  County  of  New  York 

TO  INVESTIGATE 

AUTOTHERAPY. 


Submitted  November  22,  1914. 

Your  Committee  was  appointed  at  our  February  meeting 
in  obedience  to  the  following  resolution : 

Inasmuch  as  Dr.  Duncan's  Autotherapy  has  been  used  in 
some  public  hospitals,  and  inasmuch  as  the  management  of  one 
public  hospital  has  objected  to  its  use  owing  to  the  fact  that 
Autotherapy  has  not  yet  received  public  recognition,  resolved 
that  a  committee  be  appointed  consisting  of  three  members  of 
the  Volunteer  Hospital,  three  members  of  the  County  Society 
and  three  members  appointed  by  Dr.  Duncan,  to  investigate  his 
method  and  report. 

The  Committee  really  consists  of  six  members.  Dr.  Duncan 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  343 

having  selected  three  members  of  the  Volunteer  Staff  to  repre- 
sent him. 

From  the  County  Society,  Drs.  J.  P.  Seward,  G.  S.  Harring- 
ton, G.  F.  Laidlaw. 

For  Dr.  Duncan  and  the  Volunteer  Hospital,  Drs.  W.  H. 
Dieffenbach,  H.  P.  Gillingham  and  G.  H.  Stearns.  Owing  to 
his  absence  from  the  city.  Dr.  Stearns  was  unable  to  attend  the 
meetings  of  the  Committee  and  does  not  sign  the  report. 

Your  Committee  realizes  the  pitfalls  that  await  one  sitting  in 
judgment  on  a  system  of  therapeutics.  They  have  tried  to 
profit  by  the  errors  of  the  past.  They  have  remembered  that 
many  of  our  best  therapeutic  measures  were  at  first  misunder- 
stood, denounced  and  won  recognition  slowly  while  methods 
of  treatment  introduced  under  the  glamour  of  great  authority 
have  sometimes  proved  illusions.  They  have  kept  in  mind  the 
saying  of  the  great  Hippocrates  that,  in  the  medical  art,  experi- 
ence is  fallacious  and  judgment  difficult.  They  do  not  pretend 
to  say  the  last  word  on  Autotherapy,  but  to  report  to  the  So- 
ciety its  present  status  in  the  medical  world  and  especially,  in 
response  to  the  resolution  under  which  the  Committee  was 
appointed,  whether  the  treatment  has  gained  sufficient  recog- 
nition to  warrant  its  practice  in  hospitals  in  this  city. 

Your  Committee  finds  that  Autotherapy  is  now  being  prac- 
ticed by  many  physicians  of  high  standing  all  over  the  country, 
some  holding  distinguished  positions  in  colleges  and  hospitals, 
including  members  of  our  own  Society.  When  the  usual  rules 
for  making  the  instruments  aseptic  are  observed  and  the  direc- 
tions of  Dr.  Duncan  as  to  the  size  and  repetition  of  the  dose 
are  followed,  there  appears  to  be  no  danger  or  no  more  danger 
than  in  the  use  of  tuberculin  and  the  sera  and  vaccines  that 
are  in  daily  use  among  us.  This  being  so,  we  believe  that 
the  physicians  in  all  hospitals  should  be  permitted  to  use  the 
treatment  according  to  their  judgment  just  as  they  are  per- 
mitted to  use  other  therapeutic  measures,  even  those  which  are 
dangerous  in  unskilled  hands. 

The  principle  of  treating  disease  by  a  minute  dose  of  its 
own  poison  needs  no  elaboration  by  this  Committee.  It  is 
being  practiced  in  some  form  by  physicians  of  both  schools 
of  medicine  all  over  the  world.  This  principle  is  the  beacon 
light  of  today  of  experimental  and  preventive  medicine.     In 


344  AUTOTHERAPY 

this  and  in  other  Societies,  the  Chairman  of  your  Committee 
has  expressed  the  opinion  often  that  the  method  of  applying 
this  principle  devised  by  Dr.  Duncan  is  the  ideal  method  from 
the  theoretical  standpoint.  It  places  it  in  the  hands  of  all 
physicians,  even  those  who  are  far  removed  from  a  laboratory, 
and  for  all  patients,  even  those  who  are  unable  to  afford  the 
expensive  bacteriological  preparations  a  simple  and  accurate 
method  of  giving  the  dose,  strictly  autogenous,  undeteriorated 
by  heat  or  preserving  chemicals,  free  from  the  delay,  the 
uncertainty  and  possible  error  or  contamination  of  bacterio- 
logical culture.  With  this  opinion,  your  Committee  is  in  ac- 
cord. We  found  that  we  were  unwiimous  in  the  belief  that 
the  principle  is  sound.  It  remained  for  us  to  consider  how  far 
this  principle  had  been  put  in  safe  operation. 

Your  Committee  found  that  the  practice  of  Autotherapy  had 
been  developed  in  two  fields,  in  veterinary  and  in  human 
therapeutics. 

Veterinary  Autotherapy.  In  May  your  Chairman  attended  a 
meeting  of  the  New  York  Veterinary  Medical  Society.  A 
paper  on  Autotherapy  was  discussed  by  many  members.  Every 
speaker  who  had  tried  the  treatment  endorsed  it  and  quoted 
cases  cured  of  animals  that  had  convinced  him  of  its  value. 
At'that  meeting,  there  were  no  reports  of  any  damage  done  by 
the  treatment. 

Some  months  later,  in  October,  three  well-known  veterinary 
surgeons  kindly  attended  a  meeting  of  your  Committee  and 
testified  as  follows : 

Dr.  D.  J.  Mangan,  in  his  position  of  Chief  Veterinary  for 
the  Department  of  Street  Cleaning  and  other  appointments,  has 
in  his  charge  four  thousand  horses.  He  has  used  Dr.  Dun- 
can's Autotherapy  for  four  years  in  all  forms  of  sepsis  and 
endorses  it  highly.  In  some  disorders  of  the  horse,  as  in  ozena 
or  nasal  gleet,  acute  infection?  of  the  hoof  and  fistula  of  the 
dorsum.  Autotherapy  is  by  far  the  best  and  in  some  cases  the 
only  successful  treatment.  He  believes  that  he  probably  cured 
one  case  of  glanders.  In  the  prevention  of  sepsis  in  wounds 
of  the  horse,  he  values  Autotherapy  highly. 

Dr.  George  J.  Goubeaud,  of  Flushing,  Long  Island,  Veteri- 
narian to  the  Department  of  Health,  to  the  Long  Island  Kennel 
Club,  and  to  the  First  Cavalry,  has  used  Autotherapy  for  two 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  345 

years  and  values  it  highly,  especially  in  pus  infection.  He 
specifies  necrosis  of  the  withers  and  lacerated  wounds  of  the 
legs  in  horses,  involving  the  tendon  sheaths,  as  conditions 
formerly  incurable,  but  now  curable  by  Autotherapy.  He  has 
seen  no  bad  results. 

Dr.  C.  W.  Shaw  has  used  Autotherapy  for  three  years  in 
about  one  hundred  cases.  He  endorses  the  treatment  thor- 
oughly and  has  seen  no  bad  results. 

Your  Committee  places  a  high  value  on  these  reports  of 
the  cure  of  sepsis  in  animals.  Many  of  the  infections  in  the 
lower  animals  and  in  man  are  caused  by  the  same  bacteria. 
The  laws  of  infection,  immunity  and  cure  seem  to  be  the  same 
for  all  animal  tissue.  Practically  all  of  our  bacteriological 
remedies  were  worked  out  on  animals.  It  is  found  that  the 
results  of  these  experiments  can  usually  be  transferred  di- 
rectly to  human  therapeutics. 

Turning  to  the  application  of  the  treatment  to  human  beings, 
the  evidence  may  be  classified  as  follows : 

1.  Articles  in  medical  journals. 

2.  Presentation  of  patients. 

3.  Testimony  of  physicians  using  the  treatment. 

I.  Articles  both  by  Dr.  Duncan  and  others,  endorsing  Auto- 
therapy, have  been  published  in  many  of  the  most  conservative 
journals  in  both  schools  of  medicine;  as  the  Medical  Record, 
The  New  York  Medical  Journal,  The  London  Practitioner, 
The  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  The  American  Jour- 
nal of  Surgery,  Medical  Times,  Medical  Brief,  Medical  Era, 
Medical  Sentinel,  Therapeutic  Record,  Cincinnati  Lancet  and 
Clinic,  Paris  Medicate  and  the  Practical  Medical  Journal, 
Delhi,  India.  Of  homeopathic  journals,  the  North  Ameri- 
can Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  the  New  England  Medical 
Gazette  and  the  Chironian;  of  veterinary  journals  the  Ameri- 
can Veterinary  Review  and  the  London  Veterinary  Journal. 

Your  Committee  does  not  think  that  this  publication  carries 
with  it  the  endorsement  of  the  treatment  by  the  journal,  but 
it  does  show  that  the  editor  thought  the  claims  of  the  new 
method  of  sufficient  importance  to  bring  before  his  readers, 
and  so  much  in  harmony  with  current  medical  thought  that 
the  reputation  of  his  journal  would  not  suffer  by  the  publica- 
tion. 


346  AUTOTHERAPY 

2.  Presentation  of  patients.  Dr.  Duncan  presented  seven 
patients  who  had  recovered  under  Autotherapy  from  the  fol- 
lowing disorders:  Acute  appendicitis,  catarrhal  bronchitis, 
puerperal  sepsis,  infected  finger,  compound  fracture,  furuncu- 
losis,  and  acute  articular  rheumatism  with  complicating 
endocarditis. 

Dr.  John  Arschagouni  presented  one  patient  who  had  suf- 
fered many  weeks  from  obscure  fever  with  eventual  appear- 
ance of  many  abscesses.  The  patient  had  been  seen  by  Dr. 
Laidlaw  and  Dr.  Helmuth,  both  of  whom  thought  the  case 
serious  and  recovery  doubt fi4.  He  recovered  completely 
under  Dr.  Duncan's  treatment. 

Dr.  Dieffenbach  presented  himself  as  an  example  of  cure 
by  Autotherapy,  having  been  cured  of  a  persistently  recurring 
ivy  poisoning  by  drinking  the  milk  of  a  cow  that  had  been  fed 
poison  ivy.  The  same  treatment  has  been  successful  in  the 
treatment  of  a  child. 

Dr.  Duncan  offered  to  present  many  more  patients,  but  the 
Committee  believed  that  the  sifting  of  the  evidence  and  ascer- 
taining the  details  of  these  cases  would  require  far  more  time 
than  it  had  at  its  disposal. 

3.  Testimony  of  physicians  using  the  treatment. 

Your  Committee  has  kept  in  mind  the  uncertainty  of  all 
human  testimony  and  the  liability  of  physicians,  like  other 
men,  to  be  carried  away  by  enthusiasm  and  deceive  themselves 
honestly  as  to  the  value  of  therapeutic  measures.  Nevertheless, 
it  has  seemed  to  your  Committee  to  be  important  evidence  of 
the  value  of  Autotherapy  that  educated  and  experienced  physi- 
cians all  over  the  country  are  using  the  treatment  in  hospitals 
and  private  practice.  Testimony  of  this  class  is  presented  in 
letters  to  Dr.  Duncan  and  the  verbal  testimony  of  physicians 
who  attend  the  meetings  of  your  Committee, 

The  very  number  of  the  letters  is  impressive.  We  have 
seen  five  hundred  letters  from  physicians  all  over  the  country 
endorsing  Autotherapy  and  relating  instances  of  cure  of  pa- 
tients whose  disorders  had  proved  refractory  to  other  method 
of  treatment.  Some  of  these  physicians  had  used  the  treatment 
on  themselves.  The  cases  are  too  numerous  to  quote  here. 
The  letters  also  are  too  numerous  and  from  too  many  well- 
known  men  to  permit  the  thought  that  they  were  gotten  up  for 


i 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  347 

the  Committee's  perusal.  Your  Committee  accepts  them  as 
competent  evidence.  Among  the  writers,  we  recognize  the 
names  of  homoeopathic  physicians  whom  we  know  to  be  honest 
and  competent  observers. 

Perhaps  even  more  convincing  evidence  of  the  value  of 
Autotherapy  was  supplied  by  the  physicians  who  attended  the 
meetings  of  the  Committee,  most  of  them  well-known  members 
of  this  County  Society.    They  testified  as  follows : 

Dr.  J.  Wilford  Allen:  Case  of  chronic  cough  and  bronchor- 
rhea  and  a  case  diagnosed  by  Dr.  Carleton  as  tubercular  epi- 
didymitis with  gleet.  Prompt  improvement  and  eventual  re- 
covery under  Autotherapy.  Dr.  Allen  thinks  the  Committee 
will  make  a  grave  mistake  if  it  reports  unfavorably  of  the 
treatment. 

Dr.  E.  F.  Mills  has  used  Autotherapy  in  one  hundred  cases 
in  the  past  four  years,  especially  at  the  surgical  and  skin 
clinic  of  the  South  Third  Street  Brooklyn  Homoeopathic  Dis- 
pensary. In  pus  cases,  he  has  had  very  good  results,  only  a 
few  failures  and  no  bad  results.  He  values  the  treatment 
highly. 

Dr.  Eric  Vondergoltz  has  used  the  treatment  since  May, 
1913,  in  seventy  cases,  mostly  gynecological.  He  values  the 
treatment  highly;  had  bad  results  in  two  cases  of  tuberculosis 
but  thinks  the  dose  was  too  large. 

Dr.  Thomas  B.  Kinney,  graduate  of  Edinburgh  University 
and  for  sixteen  years  in  the  British  Civil  and  Military  Service, 
has  used  Autotherapy  for  one  year.  He  reports  five  cases 
with  good  results.    He  thinks  highly  of  the  treatment. 

Dr.  Wilton  E.  Brown  has  used  Autotherapy  four  years  in 
pus  infection  and  gonorrhea.  For  pus  cases,  no  treatment 
equals  it.    He  has  seen  no  reactions  and  no  bad  results. 

Dr.  John  Arschagouni  presented  the  patient  already  men- 
tioned.   He  values  the  treatment  highly. 

Your  Committee  has  not  attempted  to  give  all  the  available 
evidence  concerning  Autotherapy.  Time  and  space  forbid.  It 
has  sought  rather  that  the  evidence  presented  should  be  accu- 
rate and  authentic. 

Perhaps  the  best  illustration  of  the  opinion  of  the  Commit- 
tee is  given  in  the  words  of  each  member  when  summing  up 
at  the  last  meeting,  as  follows: 


348  AUTOTHERAPY 

Dr.  Seward :  Impressed  by  the  testimony.  Worthy  of  use  by 
all  physicians. 

Dr.  Dieffenbach :  Good  treatment  in  septic  and  toxic  cases  in 
proper  doses  and  technic. 

Dr.  Gillingham:  The  principle  is  reasonable,  logical  and 
scientific.  The  evidence  is  convincing  that  the  treatment  is 
good. 

Dr.  Harrington:  In  selected  cases,  a  good  treatment  where 
systemic  poison  extends  beyond  the  reach  of  local  measures. 
The  technic  requires  more  precision  in  preparation,  in  the  size 
and  repetition  of  dose. 

The  Chairman :  Theoretically,  the  principle  is  sound  and  the 
evidence  presented  shows  that  in  many  cases,  the  practice  is 
successful. 

Remarks  on  Technic.  Your  Committee  believes  that  the 
technic  of  Autotherapy  requires  further  elaboration  and  pre- 
cision in  the  size  of  the  dose  and  the  interval  between  the 
doses.  However,  the  most  important  question  before  us  is  not 
the  crudeness  of  the  method  but  the  soundness  of  the  principle. 
Crudeness  of  method  and  uncertainty  of  dose  are  common  to 
all  treatments.  The  early  bacteriological  methods  were  crude 
enough,  and  there  is  no  agreement  yet  as  to  the  size  and  repeti- 
tion of  the  dose  of  tuberculin  and  other  remedies  that 
have  been  before  the  profession  for  many  years.  Crudeness 
of  method  will  be  corrected  by  time  and  experience;  but  no 
refinement  of  method  and  no  improvement  in  technic  should 
be  permitted  to  take  from  our  fellow-member,  Dr.  Duncan,  the 
credit  of  being  the  first  to  see  the  principle  clearly  and  by 
his  own  industry  and  ability  work  out  a  safe  and  practical 
technic,  starting  Autotherapy  on  a  sound  practical  basis. 

Your  Committee  deems  it  its  duty  to  commend  Dr.  Duncan 
for  his  good  judgment  in  keeping  his  method  of  Autotherapy 
free  from  the  taint  of  quackery  and  charlatanism.  He  has 
had  no  secret  formulas  nor  has  he  claimed  superior  skill.  His 
work  and  thoughts  have  been  given  freely  to  all  inquirers. 
He  has  been  actuated  by  a  high  sense  of  professional  honor  and 
responsibility  to  the  sick.  There  has  been  no  effort  to  trade 
commercially  on  the  ignorance  and  credulity  of  the  people.  On 
the  contrary,  he  has  gone  boldly  among  his  fellow-physicians 
and  challenged  the  judgment  of  those  whose  education  and 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  349 

experience  make  them  competent  judges  of  his  work.  For  this 
resisting  the  temptation  to  exploit  his  work  among  the  people 
when  his  fellow-physicians  were  hostile  and  his  friends  indif- 
ferent, we  owe  him  sincere  thanks  and  praise. 

Finally,  the  Committee  wishes  to  thank  Dr.  Duncan  for  his 
frank  and  friendly  cooperation  in  this  investigation  and  also 
to  thank  the  veterinarians  and  physicians  who  assisted  in  its 
work. 

George  F.  Laidlaw,  M.D.  (Chairman). 

Professor  of  Theory  and   Practice  of  Medicine. 
New    York    Homoeopathic    Medical    College    and 
Flower  Hospital. 
William  H,  Dieffenbach,  M.D. 

Professor    of    Electro-    and    Hydro-Therapeutics. 
New    York    Medical    College    and    Hospital    for 
Women. 
Gove  S.  Harrington,  M.D.,  F.A.C.S. 

Visiting   Surgeon   Metropolitan   Hospital,    Black- 
wells  Island. 
J.  Perry  Seward,  M.D.,  A.B. 

Professor  of  Practice.    New  York  Medical  College 
and  Hospital  for  Women. 
Horace  P.  Gillingham,  M.D. 

Professor  of  Medicine.     New  York  Medical  Col- 
lege and  Hospital  for  Women. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

No.  I. — The  Chironian,  November,  1910.  Autogenous  Virus  and  Treat- 
ment of  Sepsis.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  2. — The  Homoeopathic  Record,  May  15,  191 1.  The  Cure  of  Sepsis. 
Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  3. — North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  July,  191 1.  The 
Cure  of  Sepsis.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  4. — Medical  Record,  September  16,  191 1.  A  New  Method  of  Vac- 
cine Treatment  and  Prevention  of  Sepsis.  Charles  H.  Duncan, 
M.D. 

No.  5. — Journal  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  October, 
191 1.  Cures  and  Recoveries  in  Purulent  Infection.  Charles  H. 
Duncan,  M.D, 

No.  6. — Lujncet  Clinic,  November  4,  191 1.  Autotherapy.  Charles  H. 
Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  7. — Medical  Record,  March  30,  1912.  Acute  Gonorrhea:  Its  Pre- 
vention and  Cure  by  Autotherapy.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  8. — North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  May,  1912.  Prophy- 
laxis and  Treatment  of  Furuncules.    J.  H.  Schall,  M.D. 

No,  9. — Proceedings  of  the  Forty-ninth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Ameri- 
can Veterinary  Medical  Association,  1912.  Autotherapy;  or, 
The  Unmodified  Natural  Toxins  in  the  Treatment  of  Disease. 
Charles   H.   Duncan,   M.D. 

No.  10. — American  Veterinary  Review,  August,  1912.  Autotherapy  in 
Its  Application  to  Veterinary  Practice.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No,  II, — Cleveland  Medical  and  Surgical  Reporter,  October,  1912.  The 
Principles  and  Practices  of  Autotherapy.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  12. — Medical  Era,  October,  1912.  Autotherapy — A  New  System  of 
Therapy.    Charles  H,  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  13, — American  Veterinary  Review,  July,  1912.  Autotherapy.  D. 
J.  Mangan,  M.D.,  Chief  Veterinarian  of  Department  of  Street 
Cleaning,  New  York  City. 

No.    14. — New   York   Medical  Journal,   December    14  and   21,    1912. 

350 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  351 

Autotherapy;  or,  The  Unmodified  Autogenous  Toxin-Complex 
in  the  Treatment  of  Disease.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  15. — The  Cleveland  Medical  and  Surgical  Reporter,  December,  1912. 
Autotherapy  in  the  Treatment  of  Intra-alimentary  and  Intra- 
pulmonary  Disease.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  16. — New  York  Medical  Journal,  December  21,  1912.  Editorial  on 
Autotherapy. 

No.  17. — Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  March  6,  1913.  Auto- 
therapy in  Acute  Articular  Rheumatism.  Charles  H.  Duncan, 
M.D. 

No.  18. — American  Veterinary  Review,  May,  1913.  Cases  Treated  by 
Autotherapy.    W.  G.  McGee,  Vet.  Surgeon. 

No.  19. — American  Veterinary  Review,  May,  1913.  Severe  Infections  of 
the  Fetlock  Treated  by  Autotherapy.    J.  McDonald,  D.V.S. 

No.  20. — American  Veterinary  Review,  October  4,  1913.  Fistulous 
Withers  and  Poll-Evil  Treated  by  Autotherapy.  R.  S.  McKellar, 
D.V.S. 

No.  21. — Medical  Sentinel,  March,  1912.  Dr.  Duncan's  Autogenous 
Vaccines.     J.  J.  Sellwood,  M.D. 

No.  22. — American  Practitioner,  July,  1913.  Autotherapy  versus  Opera- 
tion,    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  23. — Homoeopathic  Recorder,  September,  1913.  My  Experience 
with  Autotherapy.    Eric  Vondergoltz,  M.D. 

No.  24. — American  Practitioner,  September,  1913.  Autotherapy  in 
Purulent  Infections,  and  the  Technic  of  Its  Application.  Charles 
H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  25. — The  American  Journal  of  Surgery,  October,  1913.  Auto- 
therapy in  Surgery.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  26. — Homoeopathic  Recorder,  1913.    From  the  Biochemic 

Point  of  View.    Eric  Vondergoltz,  M.D. 

No.  27. — New  York  Medical  Journal,  October^  1913.  How  I  Cured 
Myself  of  Chronic  Bronchitis.    L.  C.  Tony,  M.D. 

No.  28. — Paris  Medicate,  Paris,  January,  1914.  The  Radical  Treatment 
of  Chronic  Bronchitis  and  Catarrhal  Condition  of  the  Respiratory 
Tract.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D, 

No.  29. — Therapeutic  Record,  January,  1914.  Urine  as  an  Autothera- 
peutic  Remedy.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  30. — The  Practitioner  (London),  April,  1914.  Autotherapy  in  the 
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352  AUTOTHERAPY 

No.  31. — Medical  Brief,  April,  1914.  Autotherapy.  J.  H.  Barrett, 
M.D. 

No.  32. — New  England  Medical  Gazette,  January,  1914  Autotherapy 
in  the  Treatment  of  Nasal  Accessory  Sinuses.  Charles  H.  Dun- 
can, M.D. 

No.  33. — Medical  Times,  May,  1914.  Autotherapy  in  Gynecology  and 
Obstetrics.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  34. — The  Medical  Sentinel,  June,  1914.  Autotherapy.  J.  J.  Sell- 
wood,  M.D. 

No.  35. — Journal  of  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  July,  1914. 
The  Year's  Progress  in  Therapeutics.  Walter  S.  Mills,  M.D. 

No.  36. — Practical  Medicine  (Dehli,  India),  July,  1914.  Autotherapy. 
Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  37. — Medical  Record,  September  5,  1914.  Autoimmunization  in 
Respiratory  Infections.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  38. — New  York  Medical  Journal,  September  5,  1914.  Auto- 
galactotherapy.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  39. — North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  October,  1914. 
Clinical  Substantiation  of  Autotherapy.  A.  Clement  Shute, 
M.D. 

No.  40. — New  England  Medical  Gazette,  October,  1914.  Post-operative 
Treatment  of  Pus  Cases.  Claude  A.  Burrett,  M.D.,  Dean  of  the 
Homoeopathic  Department  of  the  Ohio  State  University. 

No.  41. — Northwest  Medicine,  November,  1914.  Autotherapy  Indorsed. 
John   Besson,   M.D. 

No.  42. — Indian  Medical  Gazette  (Calcutta,  India),  November,  1914. 
Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Septic  Wounds  of  Warfare.  F. 
W.  Sumner,  M.D. 

No.  43. — Wisconsin  Medical  Recorder,  December,  1914.  Autotherapy. 
J.  A.  Burnett,  M.D. 

No.  44. — Medical  Record,  December  12,  1914.  Dr.  Duncan's  Auto- 
therapy Indorsed  by  the  Committee  of  the  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society  of  the  County  of  New  York.     (Editorial.) 

No.  45. — American  Veterinary  Review,  December,  1914.  Report  of 
Committee  of  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of 
New  York  to  Investigate  Autotherapy. 

No.  46. — New  York  Medical  Journal,  January  21,  1915.  Editorial  on 
Autotherapy. 

No.  47. — Medical  Sentinel,  January,  1915.  The  Technic  of  Autotherapy. 
Charles  H.  Duncan.  M.D. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  353 

No.  48. — New  Albany  Medical  Journal,  February,  1915.  Report  of 
Three  Cases  of  Diabetes  Mellitus  Treated  by  Autotherapy. 

No.  49. — Indian  Medical  Gazette^  February,  1915.  Case  Reports 
Treated  by  Autotherapy.     M.  Brooks,  M.D. 

No.  50. — Hahnemannian  Monthly,  April,  1915.  The  Present  Status  of 
Homoeopathy.    John  Besson,  M.D. 

No.  51. — North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  May,  1915.  The 
Present  Status  of  Homoeopathy.    John  Besson,  M.D. 

No.  52. — Journal  of  the  American  Association  of  Progressive  Medicine, 
May,  1915.  Technic  of  Autotherapeutic  Treatment  of  Infected 
Wounds.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  53. — The  Pacific  Coast  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  June,  1915. 
Technic  of  Autotherapeutic  Treatment  of  Infected  Wounds. 
Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  54. — North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  1915.  Auto- 
therapy versus  Laparatomy.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  55. — American  Medicine,  October,  1915.  A  Positive  Method  of 
Preventing  and  Curing  Purulent  Infections.  Charles  H.  Dun- 
can, M.D. 

No.  56. — Interstate  Medical  Journal,  October,  1915.  An  Appeal  to  the 
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can, M.D. 

No.  57. — North  American  Journal  of  Homoeopathy,  April,  1916.  The 
Remedy  of  Precision.  J.  T.  Elder,  M.D.  (Paper  read  before 
the  Texas  State  Osteopathic  Society  of  Galveston,  Texas,  March, 
1916.) 

No.  58. — Medical  Council,  April,  1916.  Autotherapy  and  the  Young 
Mother.    A.  Clement  Shute,  M.D. 

No.  59. — Medical  Council,  May,  1916.  The  Basic  Principles  of  Auto- 
therapy.    Charles  H.  Duncan,   M.D. 

No.  60. — Medical  Standard,  March,  1916.  The  Remedy  of  Precision 
in  Influenza.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  61.— Western  Medical  Times,  June,  1916.  Autotherapy  in  Gynecol- 
ogy.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  62. — Medical  World,  June,  1916.  A  New  Method  of  Wound 
Treatment  in  and  out  of  the  Army.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 

No.  63. — The  Southern  Medical  Journal,  April,  1916.  Autotherapy. 
John  C.  Parham,  Past  Asst.  Surgeon,  of  U.  S.  Army. 

No.  64. — Medical  Council,  July,  1916.  The  Technic  of  Autotherapy. 
Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 


354  AUTOTHERAPY 

No.  65. — International  Journal  of  Surgery,  July,   1916.     Editorial  on 

Autotherapy. 
No.  66. — Medical  Record,  August  5,  1916.     Editorial  on  Autotherapy. 
No.  .67. — New  York  Medical  Journal,  August  19,  1916.     Autotherapy 

in   Poliomyelitis.     Charles  H.  Duncan,   M.D. 
No.  68. — Long  Island  Medical  Journal,  August,  1916.     Principles  and 

Practice  of   Autotherapy.     Charles  H.   Duncan,  M.D. 
No.  69. — Texas  Medical  Journal,  August,  September  and  October,  1916. 

The  Great  Yellow  Peril — Pus  Infection.     Charles  H.  Duncan, 

M.D. 
No.  70. — Medical  Council,   September,   1916.     Autotherapy   Indorsed. 

C.  J.  Scott,  M.D. 
No.  71. — New  York  Medical  Journal,  September  23,  1916.    Editorial  on 

Autotherapy  in  Ivy  Poisoning. 
No.  72. — Western  Medical  Times   (Symposium),  October,   1916.     Dr. 

P.  T.  Geyerman,  Hot  Springs,  S.  Dak.;  C.  E.  Fenner;  M.  L. 

Curtner,  Vincennes,  Ind. ;  A.  Qement  Shute ;  John  Besson,  and 

twelve    more    short    reports. 
No.  73. — New  York  Medical  Journal^  January  6,  1917.    A  New  and 

Powerful  Galactagogue.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 
No.  74. — Medical  Record,  February  10,  1917.     Elective  Localization  of 

the    Streptococci    from    an    Autotherapeutic    Point    of    View. 

Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 
No.  75. — Practical  Medicine  (Delhi,  India),  March,  1917.    The  Technic 

of  Autotherapy.    Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 
No.   76. — Buffalo  Medical  Journal,  July,    191 7.     Autotherapy  in   Ab- 
dominal Infections.     Charles  H.  Duncan,  M.D. 
In  addition  to  the  above  there  have  been  printed  in  standard  medical 
periodicals  sixty-five  articles  and  abstracts  from  these  on  the  subject 
of  Autotherapy. 


INDEX 

Acne   46, 47, 114, 285 

Adjuvant  Treatment 151 

Agnew,  Dr.  R.  A 97 

Albuminous  Foreign  Substance  9 

Alpine  Light 52 

Amniotic  Fluid  as  a  Therapeutic  Agent 168 

Anaphylaxis    31, 110, 115 

Anodynes 150 

Anthrax   309 

Antiseptics 27, 28 

Antitoxin :     9 

By  the  Mouth 176 

Unmodified  Human  (See  Autogalactotherapy) 

Apparatus,  Duncan  Autotherapeutic 61  to  67 

Appendicitis  17  to  24, 252 

Ascites    294 

Asthma 234  to  237 

Atrium  of  Infection  18, 22 

(See  Focal  Infection  and  Parenteral  Infection) 

Attitude  of  True  Physician  29 

Autogalactotherapy    60, 175  to  194 

Autoimmunization    10, 41  to  60, 132 

By  Hyperemia   42 

By  Sea  Plasma SO 

By  Sterile  Water 51 

Finsen  Light,  Alpine  Light,  Leukodescent  Light,  Atinic  Ray, 

Sunlight    52, 53 

Hot  Fomentations  42 

Moist  Dressings 44 

Radio  and  Electro  46  to    48 

Electro-Thermo-Penetration   49 

Autoinnoculation   44 

Autolysis   58 

355 


356  INDEX 

Autosepsis     164 

Autoserotherapy    288 

Disadvantages,  Preface   282 

Autotherapy : 

A  Course  of  Lectures  in  328 

Basic  Principles  of   6 

Compared  with  Isopathy   309  to  312 

"  "      Vaccines    10  to    13 

Confirmed    25 

Criticisms    33  to    40 

General  Rules  15 

History,  Introduction   1  to  5, 125  to  129 

Impostors 283 

Independently  Discovered   113 

Interferes  with  the  Specialist 37 

Slips    129 

The  Convenience  38 

Too  Difficult  and  Dangerous  37 

Unsavory  Medication   39,  40 

Bail,  the  Doctrine  of 7 

Berkefeld  Filter   61  to    67 

Besson,  Dr.  John 105 

Bibliography    349  to  353 

Boils,  Metastatic   112 

Braisted,  Sergeant  General  of  Navy  90 

Bronchitis : 

Acute  201  to  204i 

Chronic    35, 205  to  21( 

Bufccal  Immunization    54  to 

Buckner,  Studies  of  

Capsules,  Pus  Given  in   

Catarrhal  Condition  of  Respiratory  Tract 204  to  21( 

Cells,  Fixed  Reaction  of  31 

Cerebrospinal  Meningitis   301  to  3( 

Chill,  Significance,  Following  Dose   

Cholecystitis    19  to  23, 252  to  254, 25 

Conservatism,  in  Medicine  Breaking  Down  li 


INDEX 


357 


Culture,  Alters  the  Therapeutic  Value  of  Vaccines  26 

Cure,  Definition  of  19 

Cystitis    262  to  268 

"        Gonorrhea  Origin    263 

Deafness    226 

Diabetes   269, 283 

Diphtheria  323 

Disease,  Chronic,  Special  Technic  70, 152 

Carries  with  it  its  Own  Remedy 1, 309 

Dose    30, 153 

Small 53, 267 

Standard 261 

Estimated  78 

Interval  Between  31 

For  Very  Old,  Very  Young ;  Patients'  Low  Vitahty 32 

Eczema    46, 324 

Ela,  Dr.  P.  A 98 

Elective  Affinity  24,   25 

Elephantiasis    297 

Endocarditis    23 

Endometritis  149 

Enuresis,  Nocturnal    271, 272 

Erysipelas    325 

Erythema 23 

Expectant  Treatment   29 

Exudate : 

Pasteurization,  before  Injection  59 

Sterilized  by  Heat  59, 127 

Centrifugalized  before  Injection  ,       60 

And  Water,  Time  it  Should  be  Allowed  to  Stand 46 

Eye,  Infections  of 258 

Filtrate    69  to  IZ 

"         From  Microorganisms  in  Tonsils  Injected  22 

Fleming,  Dr.  Alexander   30 

Focal  Infection  17  to  22 

(See  Parenteral  Infections)   54  to  60 


358  INDEX 

Galactogogue,  a  New  and  Powerful 170 

Gas  Gangrene    89 

Glass,  Powdered  Preparation  of  327 

Goats'  Milk,  of  Raised  Bactericidal  Power 182 

Gonorrhea,  Acute : 

In  the  Male  131  to  147 

In  the  Female  152        158 

In  Children   161 

Prevention    138  to  140 

Gynecology     148  to  162 

Hay  Fever  229.232,234 

Hubbard,  Dr.  Elbert  131 

Hydrocele    292 

Hydrocephalus   293 

Hypnotics  Interfere  with  Autotherapeutic  Remedy 150  -  151 

Hypodermic  Injections,  Technic  68 

Indorsements  331  to  348 

Infections : 

Acute,  Dose 32 

Chronic 152 

Injection,  Less  Painful  75 

Isopathy    309  to  313 

Ivy  Poisoning 186,  306 

King,  Dr.  William  Harvey,  Experiments  of  49 

Koch 128 

Laboratory,  Training  not  essential  to  Autotherapy 36 

La  Grippe,  Acute  and  Chronic 227, 228 

Laryngitis,  Acute  and  Chronic 212, 213 

Law,  Dr.  James   33, 125  to  129, 250 

Law,  First  of  Nature 41 

Limitations  of  Autotherapy 29  to    40 

Lung  Fever  in  Cattle  127 

Lupus   46 

Lux    309  to  313 

Lymphatics,  Buccal,  Immunization  by 54  to    58 


INDEX  359 

MacKenzie,  Dr.  George  W.  213, 229 

'TiL'-e'r'/x  ff/^S   of  /x-y?^  /"/I  /V  rra^y/  e^i  ?^ 

Mangan,  Dr.  J.  J.  59, 60, 117  to  119, 129,147 

Mastitis    170 

Mastoiditis    105 

Measles    323 

Menstruation    170 

Microorganisms,  Foreign  Grown 26 

Milk  Therapy  (See  Autogalactotherapy,  and  Galactogogue) 
Missionaries : 

Davitt,  Dr.  Glass  165 

Sibley,  Dr.  Charles  T.   92 

Morphine  • 14, 150 

To  Check  Severe  Reaction  151 

Mothers'  Milk,  Reinjection  170 

Nature : 

Nature's  Remedy  27,29,30,42 

First  Therapeutist  42 

Nephritis    272, 273 

Obstetrics   162  to  170 

Operate,  When  Shall  We   149 

Ophthalmia  Neonatorum  179 

Otitis   Media    105, 222  to  225 

Ovaritis    149 

Ozena  216 

Parenteral  Infection 54  to    57 

Parham,  Dr.  John  C 87 

Passive   Immunity    60, 175  to  194 

Pasteur   Filter    62,   dl 

Pasteurization  of  Exudate   59 

Pericarditis : 

Non-purulent 292 

Purulent  341 

Pharyngitis    213, 214 

Phlebolith    266 


36o  INDEX 

Pleural  EflFusions   251, 289  to  291 

Post  Operative  299, 300 

Pneumonia   238  to  251 

Poliomyelitis   301 

Protean,  Foreign  Injected   9  to    13 

Psoriasis    46 

Puerperal  Infection 165  to  168 

Purulent  Infections  76  to  130 

Technic    94  to    96 

Case  Reports   92  to  124 

Pyorrhea  Alveolaris  325 

Reactions    13,31,71,  Oral  — 152 

Cutaneous    • 71 

Inhibited    74 

To  Combat   74 

Von  Pirquet   31 

Respiratory  Infections    195  to  250 

Rhinitis,  Chronic  215 

Riggs  Disease  325 

Rosenow,  Dr.  E.  C  19  to    25 

Scarlet  Fever   Z22,,  329 

Sea  Plasma,  Autoimmunization  by 50  to    53 

Sellwood,  Dr.  J.  J.  105 

Serum: 

Blood  and  Blister  31, 276  to  305 

Blood,  High  Leukocyte  Count  80 

Disadvantages  of  Blister  285 

Treatment  for  Pneumonia 239 

Shute,  Dr.  C.  A.  97 

Sinuses,  Nasal  Accessory 218  to  221 

Sleeping  Sickness    321 

Smallpox    126, 312 

Snake  Bite    316 

Soldiers,  Instruction  for  86 

Spontaneous  Cure,  Induced  and  Natural 27 

Stomach,  Ulcer  of  23, 257 

Sumner,  Dr.  F.  W. 84,93, 164, 165,264 


INDEX  361 

Surgical  Operation,  Forestalled  255 

Symbiosis,  Microorganisms  Grown  in  24 

Syphilis    51, 315 

Syringes,  Hypodermic  66  to    68 

Technic  before  Case  Reports  for  each  Infection 

Tonsilitis    211, 212 

Tonsils    56,  57 

Toxin  Complex   1,   15 

Filtered 9 

Trophism   24,  25 

Tuberculosis  of  the  Knee  106 

Typhoid  Fever  319 

Unmodified  Autogenous  Toxin  Complex 1, 9,   15 

Urine : 

Antigin  in  242 

As  an  Autotherapeutic  Remedy 259  to  275 

Indications  260 

Vaccines : 

Altered    8 

Compared  with  Autotherapy  10  to    13 

Wright    10  to  12, 30,   31 

Veterinary,  Reports  of  Physicians   117  to  130 

Von  Behring    128 

Washers,  for  Filter,  Easily  Made 75 

Whooping  Cough    322 

Wounds  in  Warfare  84  to    89 

"         Licking,  Common  in  European  War 88 

Wright's  Autogenous  Vaccine 10  to  12, 30, 31, 313 

X-Ray: 

Disadvantages  of  49 

Immunization  by    46  to    49 


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Autotherapy 


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